South Carolina Tuition Grants Commission

The South Carolina Tuition Grant helps cover part of tuition for state residents attending participating nonprofit independent colleges full time. It is not a high-GPA merit scholarship, and it cannot be used at public universities or out-of-state schools. The Commission lists 21 eligible institutions—including Benedict College, Allen University, Furman, Anderson and Charleston Southern—and publishes each campus financial-aid contact. Check that list before enrolling: attending a South Carolina college alone does not make it a participant.

The application is not a separate Commission form; it is the FAFSA. Complete the FAFSA each year at StudentAid.gov and list a participating college in the school-selection section so the federal processor can send the file to the Commission. Report residency accurately. An independent student, or the parents of a dependent student, must be legally domiciled in South Carolina for at least 12 months before the fall semester begins under program rules. Applicants must also meet federal Title IV aid requirements, complete verification if selected and annually sign the state felony, drug and alcohol affidavit collected by the college.

For 2026–27, the Commission approved a maximum of $5,000, but that is not a promised award. Need is calculated as the institution’s cost of attendance minus the Student Aid Index (COA–SAI); the final amount also depends on family resources, tuition and fees, other tuition-specific aid and available state funding. The grant cannot exceed either calculated need or direct tuition and fee charges. The latest published annual report, for 2024–25, records 33,736 complete applications, 12,975 grants disbursed and a $4,406 average. Those are historical program figures, not odds or an individual 2026 award estimate.

The FAFSA deadline for the 2026–27 Tuition Grant was August 1, 2026; it had passed when this guide was checked. CHE says the 2027–28 FAFSA is available, but the Tuition Grants Commission had not yet posted that cycle’s program deadline, so we do not automatically carry the old August 1 date forward. For the next year, submit the FAFSA as soon as you can, list a participating college and watch the official program page for the confirmed deadline. Then check email and the student’s myTG portal. Tentative notices typically begin in March; funds are credited to the college account after full-time registration and institutional certification.

Students need at least 12 eligible credits each semester, must be pursuing a first undergraduate degree and must meet satisfactory academic progress; students who do not enroll in the fall generally forfeit the grant for the year unless an approved spring-only appeal applies. It can be renewed for up to eight semesters if students file FAFSA annually, continue to demonstrate need and funding remains available. It cannot pay room and board, books, summer classes, graduate study or a second bachelor’s degree. In a 2023 speech published by Benedict College, studio-art student Kylah Montgomery said the grant supported her first three years, helped reduce debt and let her choose the HBCU aligned with her goals. That is one student’s account, not a promise to new applicants. The Commission is at 111 Executive Center Drive, Suite 242, Columbia; call 803-896-1120 or email info@sctuitiongrants.org, and ask the campus for your individual calculation.