To receive the South Carolina Need-based Grant, a student must:

• Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have financial need as defined by Title IV federal regulations. 
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a part-time or full-time degree-seeking program in an eligible program of study and seeking their first undergraduate degree. 
• Be making satisfactory academic progress toward an eligible program of study. 
• 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 not be 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 Grants, and is not in default under the Federal Perkins Loan or Federal Stafford Direct Loan Programs. 

To receive the South Carolina Need-based Grant, a continuing student must: 

• Must meet all general eligibility requirements listed above. 
• Students must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA. 
• If the student received the SC Need-based Grant in the previous year, he or she must have earned at least 24 semester hours during the preceding academic year if full-time; 18 semester hours if 3/4 time; and 12 semester hours if 1/2 time. 

If you are offered a State Need-based Grant, you must complete a certification statement available to you in Self Service Carolina (SSC). Your grant will be on hold until the certification is received in the financial aid office. 
The State Need-based Grant is only available and will be disbursed in equal amounts during the fall and spring semesters.  

The SC Need-Based Grant may be received for no more than eight semesters.

If your residency and fee payment status changes to non-resident, you will be required to repay the amount of the grant for any enrollment period in which you are no longer classified as a resident and received a State Need Based Grant.  

To qualify for Lottery Tuition Assistance, a student must meet ALL the following minimum requirements before being offered aid: 

• File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and complete the process to determine eligibility for federal student aid each academic year; 
• Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident that meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under State residency statutes; 
• Be a legal resident of South Carolina as defined in applicable State statutes governing the determination of residency for tuition and fee purposes; 
• Be enrolled at the time of the grant disbursement as a degree-seeking student in a minimum of six credit hours for the term and be making satisfactory academic progress; 
• Verify that he or she does not owe a refund or repayment on a State Grant, Pell Grant or a Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and is not in default on a loan under the Federal Perkins Loan or Federal Stafford Loan program; 
• Not be a recipient of the HOPE, LIFE or Palmetto Fellows Scholarships. 

Continuing students must: 

• File the FAFSA each year. 
• Continue to meet all general eligibility requirements as described above. 
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress in accordance toward completion of a degree. 
• After attempting 24 credit hours, earn a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA by the end of each academic year (fall, spring, and summer terms). To retain Lottery Tuition Assistance Program funds, a student must have a 2.0 GPA by the end of the academic year, after attempting 24 hours. 

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

If you are offered a LTAP, you must complete a certification statement available to you in Self Service Carolina (SSC). The aid will be on hold until the certification is received in the financial aid office. 

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

If your residency and fee payment status changes to non-resident, you will be required to repay the amount of the LTAP for any enrollment period in which you are no longer classified as a resident and received a Lottery Tuition Assistance Award. 

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

Half of the scholarship is disbursed in the Fall term and half in the Spring term.

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.

A  student must meet ALL of the following minimum requirements before being offered the 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 Grants, and is not in default under the Federal Perkins Loan or Federal Stafford Direct Loan Programs. 

For Early Awards, the school counselor/representative must submit the application and required documentation to the Commission on Higher Education (CHE) for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship by April 15th 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,  through the test administration date as determined by CHE of the senior year, earn a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA on the SC Uniform Grading Policy 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 awards, the school counselor/representative must submit the application and required documentation to the CHE for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship by June 30th of the student’ s senior year. If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday the deadline is the preceding Friday. 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)1 by the June national test administration of the senior year; earn a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA2 on the SC UGP at the end of the senior year; and, rank in the top six percent3 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)1 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. 

• You must meet all general eligibility requirements.
• 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.

If you are receiving the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship or any other financial aid, dropping a class
or withdrawing may affect your refund. Depending upon the type(s) of financial aid involved, the timing of the withdrawal, the amount of the refund, and other factors, the
financial aid recipient might receive a portion of the total refund amount or none of the refund
amount. Under certain circumstances, the financial aid recipient who withdraws or drops
classes will be required to repay financial aid funds received.

A student who is considering withdrawing or dropping a class should consult a Financial Aid
Administrator before taking this action.

If an extenuating circumstance has prevented you from meeting the continuing eligibility
requirements for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, you have the option of requesting an
appeal with the SC Commission on Higher Education. Information and an appeal form are
available on the Commission's website at: https://www.che.sc.gov

A change in your residency and fee payment status to non-resident will lead to the required repayment of your award for any enrollment period in which you are no longer classified as a resident and 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. 
• Graduated from a South Carolina high school or graduated from a high school outside of South Carolina while a dependent of a parent or legal guardian who is a legal resident.  If the student graduated from a high school outside of South Carolina, he or she is expected to self-identify to the Financial Aid Office to ensure that you are not overlooked during the review of LIFE eligible students. 
• Be a full-time, undergraduate degree seeking student; in an eligible program of study. 
• Not be a recipient of the South Carolina Palmetto Fellows Scholarship or SC Lottery Tuition Assistance. 
• Certify that he or she has never been convicted of any felonies and has not been convicted of any second of subsequent alcohol or other drug-related misdemeanor convictions within the past academic year. 
• Verify that he or she does not owe a refund or repayment on a State Grant, a Pell Grant, or a Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and is not in default under the Federal Perkins Loan or Federal Stafford Direct Loan Programs. 

First-time entering freshmen attending 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.

If you are offered and accept the Scholarship, you will receive it for one year because it is an annual scholarship.  To receive the scholarship in subsequent years, you must meet the credit hour requirements and have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average 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 third year of college must have earned 90 credit hours.

All 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 grade point average will be used to determine LIFE Scholarship eligibility only and will not be used in determining graduation eligibility or standing.  

GPA Requirement

• You 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 prior to high school graduation. To review your LIFE GPA, log on to Self Service Carolina (SSC): 
  
  • Click "Student" 
  • Click  "Student Profile"
  • Click  "LIFE GPA"(left panel)

The LIFE Scholarship is limited eight (8) consecutive terms for the first four-year degree program, four (4) consecutive terms for the first Associate’s 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 award for any enrollment period in which you are no longer classified as a resident and received a LIFE Scholarship.