South Carolina Tuition Grants

Captured cycle: This page is retained for historical guidance. Confirm whether the program has reopened before planning an application.

South Carolina Tuition Grants

The South Carolina Tuition Grants Program helps eligible residents pay direct tuition and fee charges at participating independent nonprofit colleges in South Carolina. It is a need-based state grant for students working toward an initial undergraduate degree. The program is administered by the SC Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission through an annual appropriation from the South Carolina General Assembly.

The official program site currently lists the 2026-2027 application as open. The application is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), not a separate grant form. A FAFSA must be received by the federal processor by August 1, 2026 for the 2026-2027 award year. This page describes the current cycle and the steps a student should take before submitting or correcting that application.

Current award at a glance

The $5,000 figure is a maximum, not a promise that every recipient will receive that amount. The Commission says the actual grant depends on factors including income, assets, family size, the cost of attendance at the selected college, and the amount appropriated for the program. Other funds that specifically pay tuition can also reduce or cancel a Tuition Grant.

Who can qualify

The program is intended for South Carolina residents attending an eligible independent college full-time. The main requirements are cumulative: satisfying one or two conditions is not enough if another requirement is missing.

Residency

The student, or the parent or parents of a dependent student, must meet South Carolina residency rules. The official eligibility page says an independent student or the parent of a dependent student must be a legal South Carolina resident domiciled in the state for at least 12 months before the start of the fall semester. Residency is determined under the applicable South Carolina regulations, so a student should not rely only on a mailing address. If the residency situation is unusual, ask the college financial aid office or the Commission what documents are needed before the deadline.

Enrollment and degree status

The student must enroll full-time, defined by the program as at least 12 eligible credit hours per semester, at one of the 21 participating independent colleges or universities. The student must be degree-seeking and pursuing an initial undergraduate degree. A student who has already received a bachelor’s degree cannot use this grant for a second undergraduate degree, and graduate study is outside the program.

Full-time status matters after the FAFSA as well as at application time. The grant is awarded for the year and disbursed by semester to the student’s account for direct tuition and fee charges. Part-time enrollment, summer enrollment, room and board, and books are not covered uses under the program rules.

Financial need

The FAFSA supplies the financial information used to assess need. The Commission describes the calculation as:

Cost of Attendance (COA) - Student Aid Index (SAI) = Need

The cost of attendance is tied to the participating institution and enrollment arrangement. The current colleges page publishes 2026-2027 cost-of-attendance figures but cautions that colleges report those figures and may change them. The grant amount is also affected by family resources and the program’s available appropriation, so the published maximum should be used for planning rather than treated as an expected award.

Federal and academic requirements

Students must meet the requirements for federal Title IV financial aid. If selected for verification, the student must complete that process through the college. The student must also complete the required State Felony, Drug and Alcohol Affidavit annually through the college’s collection process.

First-time freshmen must have a high school diploma or an accepted equivalent, such as a GED or Adult Education Diploma, and must be fully admitted as degree-seeking students under the college’s admission standards. Returning students must meet the college’s federal Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. Financial need alone does not override these federal, enrollment, documentation, or academic rules.

Participating colleges

The grant is limited to the following 21 participating institutions listed by the Commission for the current award-year information:

1. Allen University in Columbia
2. Anderson University in Anderson
3. Benedict College in Columbia
4. Bob Jones University in Greenville
5. Charleston Southern University in Charleston
6. Claflin University in Orangeburg
7. Clinton College in Rock Hill
8. Coker University in Hartsville
9. Columbia College in Columbia
10. Columbia International University in Columbia
11. Converse University in Spartanburg
12. Erskine College in Due West
13. Furman University in Greenville
14. Morris College in Sumter
15. Newberry College in Newberry
16. North Greenville University in Tigerville
17. Presbyterian College in Clinton
18. Southern Wesleyan University in Central
19. Spartanburg Methodist College in Spartanburg
20. Voorhees University in Denmark
21. Wofford College in Spartanburg

Check this list before building an aid plan. A public college, an out-of-state college, or an independent college that is not on the Commission’s list does not qualify for this particular grant. If a student changes plans, the new institution must also be one of the participating colleges.

How to apply for 2026-2027

There is no separate initial South Carolina Tuition Grants application. Follow this sequence:

1. Complete the FAFSA at StudentAid.gov.
2. In the FAFSA college-choice section, list the participating South Carolina independent college the student expects to attend.
3. Answer the South Carolina residency questions accurately for the student and, when applicable, the parent or parents of a dependent student.
4. Submit the FAFSA early enough for it to reach the federal processor by August 1, 2026. The Commission’s current instructions say eligible applications received by the federal processor by that deadline will be funded.
5. Save the FAFSA confirmation and watch for requests from the selected college about verification, admission, enrollment, or the State Felony, Drug and Alcohol Affidavit.
6. After the FAFSA is on file for the current academic year, create or use the myTG Student Portal to review the application and eligibility information.
7. Complete any requested documentation and stay in contact with the financial aid office at the college where the grant will be used.

The first eligible college listed on the FAFSA controls where the grant is initially awarded. Listing several schools does not mean the student can use the grant at any of them without an update. If the student chooses a different participating school, the myTG portal has a “CHANGE INSTITUTION” option for processing a transfer. The new college must be eligible, and the award amount can change after the transfer.

The two dates to protect

August 1 application deadline

The active 2026-2027 deadline is August 1, 2026. The relevant test is when the federal processor receives the FAFSA, not merely when a student begins it. Filing earlier leaves time to correct identity, tax, household, school-choice, or residency information. A student who waits until the final day may have less time to resolve a rejected or incomplete submission.

December 15 eligibility and appeals deadline

The Commission also publishes an absolute December 15 deadline during the academic year in which the student receives the grant. By that date, students must satisfy all eligibility requirements, including verification if selected and the annual State Felony, Drug and Alcohol Affidavit. The same deadline applies to appeal documentation. Incomplete appeals or appeals received after December 15 will not be considered under the Commission’s stated rule.

The December 15 date is not a substitute for the August 1 FAFSA deadline. A student should submit the FAFSA by August 1 and then finish the college’s follow-up requirements well before December 15. If an eligibility notice identifies a problem, request the appeal form and documentation instructions promptly rather than assuming the issue will be corrected automatically.

What the grant pays and how much to expect

For 2026-2027, the Commission has set the maximum Tuition Grant at $5,000. The award can be lower because the program considers demonstrated need, the college’s cost of attendance, family financial information, other tuition-specific aid, and available state funding. The grant cannot exceed the lower of the student’s eligible need or direct tuition charges under the program’s rules.

Funds are sent to the participating college and applied to the student’s account on a semester basis after full-time registration and the remaining eligibility checks are confirmed. The award is not a cash stipend for living expenses. Do not budget it for housing, meals, transportation, books, summer classes, or graduate tuition.

If the student receives employee tuition assistance, Veterans educational benefits, an ROTC tuition scholarship, or another award specifically paying tuition, the Commission may adjust the Tuition Grant. Ask the college financial aid office how the complete aid package will be coordinated before treating the maximum as available balance.

Renewal, fall enrollment, and transfers

The grant can be renewed for up to eight semesters, provided the student continues to meet the program requirements and funds are available. Renewal is not automatic in the sense of requiring no action: a new FAFSA is required annually by the August 1 deadline, and the student must continue to demonstrate need, maintain full-time enrollment, satisfy academic standards, complete required documentation, and attend an eligible college.

Students must enroll during the fall term to receive a grant for the full academic year. A student who does not enroll in the fall generally forfeits eligibility for that academic year, unless a Spring-only Grant Appeal Request is received and approved. A transfer between participating colleges must be processed through the Commission’s transfer pathway or myTG portal; moving to a public or out-of-state college does not preserve this grant.

The Commission states that renewal applicants receive no preference over new applicants. That makes annual filing and document completion important even for a student who received the grant previously.

Practical preparation checklist

Before submitting the FAFSA, confirm the following:

• The intended college appears on the Commission’s current participating-college list.
• The student and, when applicable, the parent or parents can document South Carolina domicile under the residency rules.
• The student is planning at least 12 eligible credit hours per semester and is pursuing an initial undergraduate degree.
• FAFSA contributor, tax, identity, and school-choice information is consistent.
• The student has a plan for responding to verification and the annual State Felony, Drug and Alcohol Affidavit.
• The FAFSA confirmation can be saved and checked after submission.

After filing, keep a simple record of the FAFSA submission, any correction, the selected college, admission status, full-time registration, verification requests, and myTG messages. Ask the college financial aid office for a written explanation if the grant is pending, reduced, or missing from the aid package. Useful questions include which requirement is incomplete, what document is needed, whether the FAFSA lists the correct first eligible college, and whether another tuition-specific award changed the calculation.

Official program links

• South Carolina Tuition Grants Program
• How to Apply
• Eligibility Requirements
• Participating Colleges and Universities
• myTG Student Portal information
• Commission contact information

For questions about a student’s file, the Commission directs students to their college financial aid office or the SC Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission. The official contact page lists the Commission at 111 Executive Center Drive, Suite 242, Columbia, South Carolina 29210, with phone number 803-896-1120 and email address [email protected].

The important current-cycle action is straightforward: submit the 2026-2027 FAFSA so the federal processor receives it by August 1, 2026, list an eligible participating college, then complete every college and Commission follow-up request by December 15. The program is open for this cycle, but eligibility depends on the complete sequence rather than on the FAFSA alone.