To qualify, a student must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Complete a FAFSA and demonstrate financial need as defined by Title IV regulations.
• Enroll or be accepted for enrollment in an eligible full- or part-time degree-seeking program.
• Make satisfactory academic progress toward your first undergraduate degree.
• Be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident that meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under State Residency Statutes whose lawful presence in the US has been verified at the time of enrollment.
• Be a South Carolina state resident for twelve consecutive months as defined by the applicable state statute governing the determination of residency for tuition and fee purposes.
• Certify that he or she has not been adjudicated delinquent or been convicted or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any felonies or any second or subsequent alcohol or drug-related offenses under the laws of this or any other state.
• Verify that he or she does not owe a refund or repayment on a state grant, a Pell Grant, or a Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and is not in default under any federal student loan program.

In addition to the general requirements outlined above, continuing students must meet the following additional eligibility requirements:

• Students must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA. 
• Past recipients of the South Carolina State Need-based Grant must have earned at least 24 semester hours during the preceding academic year if full-time; 18 semester hours if 3/4 time; or 12 semester hours if 1/2 time. 

Students who are offered a State Need-based Grant must complete a certification statement available in the Financial Aid Dashboard at my.sc.edu. Select your campus to log into your secure account. Once the certification statement is signed and the grant accepted, it will be disbursed in equal amounts during the fall and spring semesters.

A student may not receive the South Carolina State Need-based Grant for more than eight semesters.

If a student’s residency and fee payment status changes to non-resident, he or she will be required to repay the amount of the grant for any enrollment period in which the student was no longer classified as a resident yet received a State Need-based Grant.

To qualify, a student must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Complete a FAFSA and demonstrate financial need as defined by Title IV regulations.
• Be enrolled at the time of the grant disbursement as a degree-seeking student in a minimum of six credit hours for the term.
• Meet and maintain Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.
• Be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident that meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under State Residency Statutes whose lawful presence in the US has been verified at the time of enrollment.
• Be a South Carolina state resident for twelve consecutive months as defined by the applicable state statute governing the determination of residency for tuition and fee purposes.
• Verify that he or she does not owe a refund or repayment on a state grant, a Pell Grant, or a Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and is not in default under any federal student loan program.
• Not be a recipient of the LIFE or Palmetto Fellows Scholarships.

In addition to the general requirements outlined above, continuing students must meet the following additional eligibility requirement:

• After attempting 24 credit hours, a student must earn a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA by the end of each academic year (fall, spring, and summer terms).

Students who are offered Lottery Tuition Assistance must complete a certification statement available in the Financial Aid Dashboard at my.sc.edu. Select your campus to log into your secure account. Once the certification statement is signed and the grant accepted, the funds will be disbursed during the fall and spring semesters.

Students are not eligible to receive funds from the Lottery Tuition Assistance Program for more than one certificate, diploma, or degree earned within any five-year period.

Lottery Tuition Assistance (LTAP) may be offered for the fall, spring, and summer terms. For the current academic year, eligible students enrolled in at least six credit hours may receive up to an established amount each term. Prior to packaging LTAP, students will first be offered federal grants and the SC Need-based Grant if they are eligible, and funding is available. The institution at which the student is enrolled will notify each student of the exact amount. Please note that LTAP amounts are subject to change each term based upon the number of eligible recipients and available funding. 

If a student’s residency and fee payment status changes to non-resident, he or she will be required to repay the amount of the Lottery Tuition Assistance (LTAP) for any enrollment period in which the student was no longer classified as a resident yet received LTAP funds.

Eligible students must meet ALL the following minimum requirements before being offered the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship:

• Be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident that meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under State Residency Statutes whose lawful presence in the US has been verified at the time of enrollment.
• Be a resident of the state of South Carolina for twelve consecutive months as defined by the applicable state statute governing the determination of residency for tuition and fee purposes.
• Certify that he or she has never been convicted of any felonies and have not been convicted of any second or subsequent alcohol or drug-related offenses within the past academic year under the laws of this or any other state.

Verify that he or she does not owe a refund or repayment on a state grant, a Pell Grant, or a Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and is not in default under any federal student loan program.

For Early Scholarship offers, the student’s school counselor/representative must submit the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship application and required documentation to the Commission on Higher Education (CHE) by April 15^th of the student’s senior year. Students are eligible to apply if they meet one of the following sets of academic requirements:

• Score at least 1200 on the SAT (25 on the ACT) by the March national test administration, earn a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA on the SC Uniform Grading Policy (SC UGP) at the end of the junior year, and rank in the top six percent of the class at the end of either the sophomore or the junior year;

OR

• Score at least 1400 on the SAT (31 on the ACT) by the March national test administration and earn a minimum 4.00 cumulative GPA on the SC UGP at the end of the junior year.

For late Scholarship offers, the school counselor/representative must submit the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship application and required documentation to the CHE by June 30th of the student’s senior year. High school seniors are eligible to apply if they meet one of the following sets of academic requirements:

• Score at least 1200 on the SAT (25 on the ACT) by the June national test administration of the senior year; earn a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA on the SC UGP at the end of the senior year; and, rank in the top six percent of the class at the end of the sophomore, junior or senior year;

OR

• Score at least 1400 on the SAT (31 on the ACT) by the June national test administration of the senior year and earn a minimum 4.00 cumulative GPA2 on the SC UGP at the end of the senior year.

In addition to the general requirements outlined above, continuing students must meet the following additional eligibility requirement:

• • Enroll full-time at the time of the scholarship disbursement.
  • Earn a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale for graduation purposes (USC system GPA) by the end of each academic year.
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credit hours for graduation purposes by the end of the academic
    year (Fall, Spring and Summer terms). This is not an average.
  • Exempted credit hours (such as AP, CLEP, etc.), credit hours earned before high school graduation (i.e., dual enrollment credit hours), and credit hours earned the summer term immediately following high school graduation cannot be used to meet the annual credit hour requirement.

Students who are offered a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship must complete a certification statement available in the Financial Aid Dashboard at my.sc.edu. Once the certification statement is signed, the scholarship will be disbursed in equal amounts during the fall and spring semesters.

Note: The Palmetto Fellows Scholarship in combination with all other scholarships and grants may not exceed the cost of attendance as defined in Title IV and state regulations. Eligible students may receive up to the following amounts:

• $6,700 for first year Palmetto Fellows
• $7,500 for second year Palmetto Fellows

Dropping or withdrawing may affect your eligibility to maintain the scholarship or to receive a refund. Under certain circumstances you could be required to repay any financial aid funds that you receive.  Palmetto Fellows Scholarship recipients who are considering dropping a class or withdrawing from the university should contact the Financial Aid Office immediately.

If an extenuating circumstance has prevented a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship recipient from meeting the continuing eligibility requirements, he or she may have the option of requesting an appeal with the SC Commission on Higher Education. More information and an appeal form are available on the Commission's website at: https://www.che.sc.gov

If a student’s residency and fee payment status changes to non-resident, he or she will be required to repay the amount of the grant for any enrollment period in which the student was no longer classified as a resident yet received a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship.

A student must meet ALL the following minimum requirements before being offered the LIFE scholarship:

• Be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident that meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under State Residency Statutes whose lawful presence in the US has been verified at the time of enrollment.
• Be a resident of the state of South Carolina for twelve consecutive months as defined by the applicable state statute governing the determination of residency for tuition and fee purposes.
• Graduate from a South Carolina high school or graduate from a high school outside of South Carolina while a dependent of a parent or legal guardian who is a legal resident. If you graduated from a high school outside of South Carolina, please self-identify.
• Enroll or be accepted for enrollment in an eligible full- or part-time degree-seeking program.
• Certify that he or she has never been convicted of any felonies and have not been convicted of any second or subsequent alcohol or drug-related offenses within the past academic year under the laws of this or any other state.
• Verify that he or she does not owe a refund or repayment on a state grant, a Pell Grant, or a Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and is not in default under any federal student loan program.
• Not be a recipient of the South Carolina Palmetto Fellows Scholarship or SC Lottery Tuition Assistance.

First-time entering freshmen who plan to attend an eligible two-year or technical institution must earn a cumulative 3.0 GPA based on the Uniform Grading Policy (UGP). The standardized test score and class rank requirements are waived.

Transfer students must have earned a cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale at all transferring institutions. A student must have earned a minimum of 30 credit hours (second year transfer), 60 credit hours (third year transfer), or 90 hours (fourth year transfer) or an annual equivalent for a student who begins mid-year at the participating institution and all prior institutions for the previous academic year to be eligible for the scholarship.

To receive the LIFE scholarship after the freshman year, a student must meet the credit hour requirements and have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) by the end of the academic year (fall, spring and summer). The credit hour requirements are as follows:

• Students completing first year of college must have earned 30 credit hours;
• Students completing second year of college must have earned 60 credit hours; and
• Students completing their third year of college must have earned 90 credit hours.

The above requirements pertain to two-year colleges and technical colleges. Please note that there are additional requirements for four-year colleges and universities.  If a student loses eligibility for the LIFE Scholarship, it may be regained by meeting eligibility requirements in the next academic year. Please note that the LIFE GPA will be used to determine LIFE Scholarship eligibility only and will not be used to determine graduation eligibility or standing.

LIFE Scholarship recipients must earn a minimum 3.00 LIFE GPA on a 4.00 scale by the end of the academic year (fall, spring, and summer).  As a condition of receiving the LIFE Scholarship, all grades earned (excluding remedial coursework) at eligible public or independent institutions are included in the LIFE GPA. This includes any college credit hours and grades earned prior to high school graduation. To review your LIFE GPA, visit the  Financial Aid Dashboard at my.sc.edu. Select your campus to log into your secure account.

• Click "Student"
• Click "Student Profile"
• Click "LIFE GPA"(left panel)

A student may receive the LIFE Scholarship for eight (8) consecutive terms for the first four-year degree program, four (4) consecutive terms for the first associate degree program or a two-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward a baccalaureate degree.  The available number of terms for scholarship funding is based on the time of initial college enrollment.

A change in your residency and fee payment status to non-resident will lead to the required repayment of your financial aid for any enrollment period in which you are no longer classified as a resident and receive a LIFE Scholarship.