South Carolina State Scholarships: Requirements and Eligibility
South Carolina offers various scholarships to support its residents pursuing higher education within the state. These scholarships, primarily funded through the South Carolina Lottery, aim to recognize academic merit and provide financial assistance. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) regulates these scholarships. It is important to note that all eligibility requirements, renewal criteria, scholarship funding amounts, and any potential enhancements are subject to review and change by the South Carolina General Assembly.
Types of South Carolina State Scholarships
The state's scholarship programs include the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, the LIFE (Legislative Incentives for Future Excellence) Scholarship, and the SC HOPE Scholarship. These scholarships are designed to reward academic achievement and encourage students to pursue higher education in South Carolina. In addition to these merit-based scholarships, South Carolina also offers need-based grants like the South Carolina Tuition Grants and the South Carolina Need-based Grant. Federal programs like Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) are also available to eligible students.
Palmetto Fellows Scholarship
The Palmetto Fellows Scholarship is considered the state's premier scholarship, recognizing academically talented South Carolina students. It encourages them to study in South Carolina and aims to retain talented minority students. The value of the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship is $6,700 for the first year and increases to $7,500 for subsequent years.
Eligibility for Palmetto Fellows Scholarship:
The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) selects Palmetto Fellows based on criteria that include:
- Class rank
- High school GPA
- SAT or ACT scores.
The competition for these awards begins when students take the PSAT in their junior year of high school.
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LIFE (Legislative Incentives for Future Excellence) Scholarship
The LIFE Scholarship aims to increase the number of students in South Carolina majoring in STEM fields, make higher education more accessible, and improve the employability of South Carolina students. The LIFE Scholarship is valued at $5,000 per year.
Eligibility for LIFE Scholarship:
To be eligible for the LIFE Scholarship, students must meet specific academic requirements. Generally, students must:
- Be a full-time undergraduate student.
- Meet two of the following three criteria:
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- A score of at least 1100 on the SAT or 22 on the ACT.
- Rank in the top 30% of their graduating class.
Students may receive the LIFE scholarship for no more than eight semesters. To maintain eligibility, students must earn an average of 30 credit hours per year and maintain a minimum cumulative 3.0 "LIFE GPA" based upon all grades earned at every post-secondary institution attended.
SC HOPE Scholarship
The SC HOPE Scholarship supports new students who had at least a B average in high school but didn’t qualify for LIFE or Palmetto Fellows. The HOPE Scholarship is only available to students at 4-year institutions in their first year of study and is nonrenewable. The HOPE Scholarship is valued at $2,800.
Eligibility for SC HOPE Scholarship:
To receive the HOPE Scholarship, students must graduate with a minimum 3.0 GPA on the uniform grading scale. Recipients must be South Carolina residents and must have graduated from a South Carolina high school or from a high school outside of South Carolina while being a dependent of a parent or legal guardian who is a legal South Carolina resident. Students can only receive the HOPE Scholarship for two semesters.
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Additional Scholarship Information
Application Process
There is typically no separate application process for the LIFE Scholarship. High school officials identify eligible students for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship and report them to the CHE. Consult with high school guidance counselors for complete eligibility requirements and application procedures. Some institutions may require students to complete an affidavit before the disbursement of funds.
Transfer Students
Incoming transfer students must submit the "Instate Transfer Form" to the S.C. Commission on Higher Education. The form is available on the CHE webpage.
Combining Scholarships
Many scholarships and stipends may be combined with other sources of financial assistance for which a student is eligible. However, a student may not receive more than one full-tuition University scholarship. Students who want to be considered for scholarships must be unconditionally accepted for admission prior to deadlines. USC Upstate students who are awarded scholarships or stipends are required to be in good academic standing.
Scholarship Enhancements for STEM Majors
Students majoring in computer science, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biology, mathematics, chemistry, and physics may be eligible for a scholarship enhancement beginning in their sophomore year. To qualify, students must have completed at least 14 credit hours of math and/or science courses by the end of their freshman year (including the summer semester following their freshman year).
Study Abroad Programs
State regulations for these state-based scholarships still apply during study abroad/study away programs. Therefore, all grades earned for courses taken while studying abroad/away must be calculated into your LIFE Scholarship GPA. Eligible LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarship recipients who are already on track for early graduation (by one semester) may use 1 of their 8 semesters of scholarship eligibility in the summer as long as they enroll full-time and complete at least 12 attempted summer credit hours.
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Important Considerations
- Scholarship information is accurate at the time of publication but is subject to change.
- The SC HOPE, LIFE, and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships in combination with all other (Federal, state, institutional, and private) scholarships and grants may not exceed a student’s cost of attendance as defined by Title IV Regulations.
Need-Based Grants
In addition to the merit-based scholarships, South Carolina offers need-based grants to assist students with the greatest financial needs. These grants do not require repayment.
South Carolina Tuition Grants and South Carolina Need-based Grant
South Carolina offers two main need-based grants: the South Carolina Tuition Grants and the South Carolina Need-based Grant. These grants are designed to assist students with the greatest financial needs and do not require repayment.
Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students who haven’t earned a prior degree. Each participating institution has a limited amount of money it can offer as part of a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).
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