Academic Funding from the State of South Carolina
Do You Have Enough Money to Earn a Degree?
The South Carolina Department of Education administers scholarships and grants for students to pursue college in the state. The SC Commission on Higher Education oversees the state colleges and universities.
General Scholarships and Grants
The South Carolina HOPE Scholarship is a purely merit-based program that provides tuition awards to those academically talented students who are not receiving other merit scholarships. Recipients must attend a school within the state. The program is only available for the freshman year.
The LIFE Scholarship provides tuition awards to academically motivated students. The program was established to assist more talented students and offer incentives to study within the state. Awards are renewable and students must earn GPAs of 3.0 along with other academic criteria. This program is partially funded by the state lottery.
The South Carolina Education Lottery Program funds the SC Lottery Tuition Assistance Program. State lottery games such as those found in SC are required to provide funding for all levels of state education. Applicants must be attending a two-year state institution.
The Palmetto Fellows Scholarship was established with the intent of encouraging academically talented students to study at colleges and universities within the state. Candidates must be enrolled in a four-year degree. Recipients may receive up to $6500 per academic year.
The federally funded Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship recognizes the efforts of the most academically talented high school seniors. This merit-based program provides dozens of students from South Carolina with $1500 scholarships. The program is renewable for an extra 3 years of undergraduate study. Eligible students must hold GPAs above 3.5, top ACT/SAT scores and demonstrate leadership qualities. School officials typically nominate their Byrd Scholars. Only those already accepted into full-time four-year college and university programs may receive awards.
The South Carolina Tuition Grants Program is a need-based fund intended to put more SC students into independent state college or university programs. Applicants must apply by filling out the FAFSA. The amount of the award is dependent on the type of institution the student attends.
Specialized Studies Programs
Pursuing a teaching degree in South Carolina? The state offers a couple of aid programs intended to encourage students to pursue teaching as a career. The Teacher Loan program will provide eligible students with low-interest loans, but the attractive part of the program is the loan forgiveness portion. Teaching students who agree to teach in underserved areas of South Carolina may qualify for tuition grants. See other national teaching scholarships.
Unique to South Carolina is the Archibald Rutledge Scholarship, which provides a merit-based program for arts-centric students. Applicants compete in areas of visual art, music, writing and other creative forms of expression in pursuit of $5000 scholarships. See other national art scholarships.
High school students with an interest in teaching and who demonstrate academic talent may qualify for the South Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. Candidates must attend a state college or university teaching program and agree to work as teachers in underserved schools following graduation.
