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Department of Mathematics

  • Two boys doing math on a whiteboard.

High School Math Contest

The University of South Carolina hosts a High School Mathematics Contest in the Spring semester every year. All South Carolina high schools are cordially invited to participate. 

The 40th High School Math Contest will take place on Saturday, January 23, 2027. High school math advisers can register participating students through Friday, January 15, 2027.

Register students

About the contest

Since 1986, the Department of Mathematics at the University of South Carolina has invited South Carolina high schools to participate in the contest. Our goal is to stimulate interest in mathematics among high school students and recognize those who exhibit exceptional talent.

The main event is the Individual Test, a 75-minute multiple-choice exam with 30 questions. Schools also participate as teams in the Team Event, a 60-minute open-answer exam. The top finishers on the Individual Test will be invited to participate in a tournament at the end of the contest.

Individual awards

  • The first-place finisher on the Individual Test receives a medal, a plaque, and a $500 cash prize.
  • The second-place finisher receives a medal, a plaque, and a $300 cash prize.
  • The third-place finisher receives a medal and a $200 cash prize.
  • Participants who finish fourth through sixth each receive a medal and a $100 cash prize.

Team awards

Team awards will be based on the Team Event and each school's top three finishers on the Individual Test. Schools are separated into divisions, and the top three schools in each division receive trophies.

The High School Math Contest was started in the late 1980's while Colin Bennett was department chair.  At that time, Colin suggested to Charles Nicol, an associate professor, that he set up contacts with high schools.  As a result, Nicol established a high school math contest which would bring some of the brightest high school students to campus.   The contest was successful from the very beginning, with hundreds of high school students participating and good relations built with the high school math teachers.  The department has always organized this event on its own.

~ George McNulty

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

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