South Carolina HOPE Scholarship (freshman year)
ListedScholarship
- Award
- Up to $2,800 total, including $300 book allowance, toward cost of attendance in freshman year only, normally two terms with half paid in fall and half in spring. Combined gift aid cannot exceed cost of attendance; institutional disbursement, not a renewable four-year award.
- Deadline
- No separate statewide scholarship application. Submit required admission, official academic records and eligibility documents by the college financial-aid office's deadlines; mid-year graduates require additional early-graduation documents.
- How to apply
- College determines eligibility using official final high-school transcript, residency/citizenship verification and any applicable test/rank documentation. Submit required criminal-history and financial-aid default/refund certifications. No FAFSA needed solely for this merit award; other financial aid may need it. Mid-year applicants provide principal/counselor certification and early-graduation documents.
- What you'll need
- No separate application: you are considered when you apply for admission
- Who can apply
- South Carolina resident and U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident at high-school graduation and college enrolment; minimum 3.0 unrounded SC Uniform Grading Policy GPA at graduation; first-time full-time degree student at eligible four-year institution who does not receive LIFE or Palmetto Fellows. Approved homeschool and qualified out-of-state dependent graduates can qualify with UGP transcript conversion as applicable; GED graduates are not eligible for initial HOPE. Normally at least 12 non-remedial/non-continuing-education credits; approved disability exceptions exist.
- Good to know
- Cannot receive this award alongside Palmetto Fellows, the other South Carolina merit scholarship or Lottery Tuition Assistance in the same academic year. Mid-year graduates cannot use class rank. Specified felony and repeated alcohol/drug offence restrictions, financial-aid default/refund restrictions and annual certifications apply. Approved disability and military exceptions exist; specialised out-of-state disability institutions need CHE approval. Funding remains subject to state rules and appropriations.
- Details
- Test optionalPermanent residents eligible