S.C. Code Regs. § § 62-1200.10

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 10, October 25, 2024

Section 62-1200.10 - Student Eligibility: LIFE Scholarship and LIFE Scholarship Enhancement

A. To be eligible for a LIFE Scholarship, students must:

1. Be a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident that meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under State Residency Statutes at the time of high school graduation, whose lawful presence has been verified at the time of enrollment at the institution; and

2. Be classified by the awarding institution as a South Carolina resident for in-state purposes at the time of high school graduation and at the time of enrollment at the institution, as set forth by Section 59-112-10, and be either a member of a class graduating from a high school located in this State, or a student who has successfully completed at least three of the final four years of high school within this State, or a home school student who has successfully completed a high school home school program in this State in the manner required by law, or a student graduating from a preparatory high school outside this State, while a dependent of a parent or guardian who is a legal resident of this State and has custody of the dependent according to State Statute, Section 59-149-50A or a student whose parent or guardian has served in or has retired from one of the United States Armed Forces within the last four years, paid income taxes in this State for a majority of the years of service, and is a resident of this State. A student must be a legal permanent resident of the United States before being considered to be a South Carolina resident;

3. Meet two of the following three criteria if a first-time entering freshman at an eligible four-year institution:

(a) Earn a cumulative 3.0 grade point average (GPA) based on the South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy (UGP) upon high school graduation. No other grading policy will be allowed to qualify for the LIFE Scholarship. Final high school GPAs shall be based on the four-year period of high school attendance, with the exception of Carnegie Units earned prior to high school. There may be other exceptions, as deemed necessary by the Commission. Grade point averages must be reported to two decimal places (minimum) and may not be rounded. For example, a student who earns a 2.99 GPA is not eligible. Institutions shall use the final GPA as reported on the official transcript. The final official high school transcript must be dated in accordance with the Commission established date(s). If a South Carolina resident student is graduating from an out of state high school, it is the responsibility of the out of state student's school counselor to convert the student's final high school GPA and class ranking to an eligible final high school GPA based on the South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy. The converted final high school GPA and class ranking (if applicable) must be provided to the eligible South Carolina Institution before a student can be awarded.

(b) Score at least an 1100 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or an equivalent ACT score of 22. Test scores will be accepted through the CHE determined national test administration of the SAT and ACT during the year of high school graduation. The student must use the highest SAT Math score combined with the highest SAT Evidenced-based Reading score. It is permissible to select scores from different test administrations in order to obtain the qualifying composite score. For purposes of meeting the ACT test score requirement, the student can use the highest English, Math, Reading and Science scores. It is permissible to select scores from different test administrations in order to obtain the qualifying composite score.

(c) Rank in the top thirty percent of the graduating class in a high school with an approved, official rank policy, consisting of high school diploma candidates only. The rank must also be based on the UGP only. Students cannot be removed from the class because they did not meet the eligibility criteria, are not residents of the State, do not meet citizenship requirements, plan to attend college out-of-state, etc. The class rank information must include all students who attended your high school that school year. Ranking percentages must be reported to two decimal places (minimum) and may not be rounded. For example, a student who has a class rank of 13 of 43 (13/43 x 100 = 30.23%) will not rank in the top thirty percent of the class since 30.23% is not within thirty percent. To determine the top thirty percent for graduating classes with three or less students, the student who is ranked number one in the class would be considered in the top thirty percent for LIFE Scholarship eligibility. Only one student may occupy each place in class rank. Institutions shall use the final ranking as reported by the high school on the official transcript, and on a submitted rank report provided by the high school the student graduated from. A ranking report must be attached to the official transcript regardless of the graduating high school. High schools or home school associations that do not rank as a policy; or high schools whose grading policy deviates from the current SC Uniform Grading Policy and that do not convert the graduating class to the current SC UGP to determine class rank, must use the GPA and SAT or ACT criteria when attempting to meet the academic requirements for the LIFE Scholarship. High schools or home school associations shall not use ranking for the sole purpose of obtaining eligibility for the state scholarships. The rank policy and rank policy information must be available to parents, students, colleges, and universities, and the Commission on Higher Education in publication form to include a school's website, student/parent handbook, and/or school profile. This language must include the ranking policy in place at the school/association. The ranking policy should be consistent in all places where the rank policy is published and is the same information disseminated to parents, students, colleges/universities, and the Commission. The SC UGP GPA and class rank (if school/association officially ranks as a policy) must be printed on an official final end of year high school transcript, which must also include a uniform date of calculation as determined by the Commission on Higher Education. The graduation date must also be printed on the final end of senior year high school transcript, and include no grades earned after the date of the graduating high school class for the graduation year.

(d) For the purposes of meeting the rank criterion, the existing high school rank of a South Carolina resident attending an out-of-state high school may be used provided it is calculated pursuant to a state-approved, standardized grading scale at the respective out-of-state high school. If the eligible South Carolina institution determines that a state-approved standardized grading scale substantially deviates from the South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy (SC UGP), the institution must submit the grading scale to CHE for further review. If CHE confirms the out-of-state grading scale substantially deviates from the SC UGP, the state-approved, standardized grading scale shall not be used to meet the eligibility requirements for the LIFE Scholarship. All members of the student's Senior class at the out of state high school must be ranked in accordance with the South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy in these cases. When converting scores to the SC UGP, weighting must adhere to the SC UGP (i.e. honors no more than .50 and AP/IB no more than 1.0). In addition, scores/grades must correspond to the SC UGP. For example, if a student earned a 90 in an honors class, the conversion of the score/grade must be equivalent to the points assigned according to the current SC UGP. The guidance counselor from the out-of-state preparatory school also has the option of converting the cumulative GPAs of all students in the applicant's class to the SC UGP to determine if the student ranks within the top thirty percent of the class. To be considered equivalent to the SC UGP, the out-of-state school's grading scale must adhere to the following minimum requirements:

(1) Must include all courses carrying Carnegie units, including units earned at the middle school and high school level;

(2) To be equivalent to an "A" letter grade, the numerical average must be >= 90; to be equivalent to a "B" letter grade the numerical average must be between 80 and 89 ; to be equivalent to a "C" letter grade the numerical average must be between 70 and 79 ; to be equivalent to a "D" letter grade the numerical average must be between 60 and 69 ; and to be equivalent to a "F" letter grade the numerical average must be between 50 and 59 (if a course with a numerical average of < 62 is considered passing by the high school the student earned the grade, then a 73 numerical average should be given);

(3) Cannot add more than one half (.50) additional quality point for honors courses; cannot add more than one additional quality point for dual enrollment (DE) courses, Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and standard level International Baccalaureate (IB) courses; and, cannot add more than two additional quality points for higher level IB courses;

(4) Must classify all other courses as College Preparatory if they are not already classified as honors, DE, AP or IB. For a class to be classified as honors, the course must be in English, mathematics, science or social studies or be the third/fourth level for all other content areas; and,

(5) If no numerical average is available, all letter grades must be converted to the equivalent numerical average based on the following: all "A" letter grades must be converted to a 95 numerical average, all "B" letter grades must be converted to a 85 numerical average, all "C" letter grades must be converted to a 75 numerical average, all "D" letter grades must be converted to a 65 numerical average, and all "F" numerical averages must be converted a 50 numerical average.

4. Earn a cumulative 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on the Uniform Grading Policy upon high school graduation and score at least an 1100 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT I) or an equivalent ACT score of 22 as determined by the Commission if a first-time entering freshman graduates from a non-ranking South Carolina high school, non-ranking South Carolina approved home school association or out-of-state preparatory high school and attends an eligible four-year institution;

5. Earn a cumulative 3.0 grade point average (GPA) upon high school graduation on the Uniform Grading Policy if a first-time entering freshman at an eligible two-year or technical institution. No other grading policy will be allowed to qualify for the LIFE Scholarship. Grade point ratios must be reported to two decimal places (minimum) and may not be rounded. For example, a student who earns a 2.99 GPA is not eligible. Institutions shall use the final GPA as reported by the high school on the official transcript;

6. Be admitted, enrolled full-time, and classified as a degree-seeking student at a public or independent institution in South Carolina;

7. Certify that he/she has never been adjudicated delinquent, convicted, or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any felonies or any second or subsequent alcohol/drug related offenses under the laws of this or any other state or under the laws of the United States in order to be eligible for a LIFE Scholarship, except that a high school or college student otherwise qualified who has been adjudicated delinquent or has been convicted or pled guilty or nolo contendere to a second or subsequent alcohol or drug-related misdemeanor offense nevertheless shall be eligible or continue to be eligible for such scholarships after the expiration of one academic year from the date of the adjudication, conviction, or plea by submitting an affidavit each academic year to the institution. However, a high school or college student who has been adjudicated delinquent, convicted, or pled guilty or nolo contendere to a second alcohol/drug related misdemeanor offense is ineligible for the next academic year of enrollment at an eligible institution after the date of the adjudication, conviction or plea. If the adjudication, conviction, or plea occurs during the academic year after the student has already submitted a signed affidavit to the institution, the student will be eligible to receive the Scholarship the remainder of the academic year. However, the student will be ineligible for the Scholarship the following entire academic year of enrollment. If a student completes a pretrial intervention program and has his/her record expunged the conviction will not affect Scholarship eligibility; and

8. Certify that he/she has not defaulted and does not owe a refund or repayment on any federal or state financial aid. If a student has an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) or its equivalent on file, the ISIR information will be used to verify default status or refund/repayment owed on any Federal or State financial aid. Students who have not completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must have an affidavit on file to verify that he/she is not in default and does not owe a refund or repayment on any Federal or State financial aid including, state grants/scholarships, Federal Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Perkins Loan and Federal Stafford Loan.

B. Any credit hours attempted or earned before high school graduation, hours exempted by examination, International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) credit hours do not count against the terms of eligibility as provided in State Statute, Section 59-149-60. The credit hours earned before high school graduation can be used toward the credit hour requirement. Credit hours earned through CLEP, IB or AP will be used toward the credit hour requirement.

C. Service members of the United States Armed Forces will not be penalized for any credit hours earned while on active duty. The credit hours earned on active duty will not count against the terms of eligibility, but will be used towards the annual credit hour requirement.

D. First-time entering freshmen will not be penalized for any credit hours earned during the summer session immediately prior to the student's initial college enrollment. The credit hours earned will not count against the terms of eligibility. The credit hours may be used toward the annual credit hour requirement.

E. Students who complete their high school graduation requirements prior to the official graduation date reported on the final high school transcript may be eligible to receive the LIFE Scholarship dependent on the approval of the eligible institution. The student must complete and submit an Early Graduation Application, an official high school transcript, an official letter from the high school principal verifying that he/she has met all graduation requirements, and SAT/ACT scores (if attending a four-year institution) by the established deadline. Early graduates cannot use class rank in order to qualify for the LIFE Scholarship at four-year institutions. Early graduates who enroll mid-year (spring term) and are awarded the LIFE Scholarship through the Early Graduation process will officially begin their initial college enrollment. In order to receive the LIFE Scholarship the next academic year, the student must earn a minimum of fifteen credit hours and a 3.0 "LIFE GPA" at the end of the academic year. The student will be eligible to receive the maximum number of terms of eligibility based on initial college enrollment. If a student does not submit an early graduation application for the spring term and has not officially graduated, the student should not have received the LIFE Scholarship and that term will not count against his/her terms of Scholarship eligibility.

F. First-time entering freshmen who enroll mid-year (spring semester) are eligible for the LIFE Scholarship if they qualified upon high school graduation.

G. LIFE Scholarship funds may not be applied to the cost of continuing education, remedial/developmental or non-degree credit courses for an associate's degree or higher. Twelve credit hours of the courseload must be non-remedial/developmental, non-continuing education or degree-credit courses for an associate's degree or higher in order to receive LIFE Scholarship funds. Continuing education, non-degree credit for an associate's degree or higher and remedial/developmental courses will not be included in the "LIFE GPA" or credit hour calculations.

H. Non-degree credit hours shall be used to meet the full-time eligibility criteria for a diploma or certificate program only. Students must sign an affidavit certifying that they understand that non-degree credit hours will not be used in calculating the "LIFE GPA" or credit hour requirements if they are enrolled in an Associate's degree or higher.

I. Credit hours earned during the student's first two term(s) of remedial/developmental enrollment will not be used to determine remaining Scholarship eligibility at the completion of remediation unless the student has completed at least twelve credit hours of non-remedial/developmental coursework each term of enrollment. First-time entering freshmen attending an eligible two-year institution or technical college who enroll in fewer than twelve credit hours of non- remedial/developmental, including at least three hours of remedial/developmental courses during the first term(s) will not be eligible for Scholarship funds during this period. The student's initial college enrollment will begin after a maximum of two terms of remediation at an eligible two-year or technical college only. The student will be eligible for the Scholarship for the term following Spring or Fall term immediately after the completion of remediation if the student was eligible to receive the LIFE Scholarship upon high school graduation. A student is allowed a maximum of two terms of remediation, which must be within the first two terms of attendance at an eligible institution, before his/her terms of eligibility start. If the student requires more than one academic year of remedial/developmental coursework, then he/she will not be eligible for the LIFE Scholarship the term after completion of remediation. If the student was not eligible for the Scholarship upon high school graduation, the student must meet the conditions set forth in Section J below in order to gain the LIFE Scholarship.

J. Students who do not meet the scholarship eligibility requirements upon high school graduation and enroll in remedial/developmental courses during a maximum of two terms at an eligible two-year institution or technical college, and who enroll in fewer than twelve credit hours of non-remedial/developmental courses, must meet the scholarship eligibility requirements (earn a 3.0 "LIFE GPA" and earn an average of thirty credit hours for the academic year) at the end of the first year of enrollment in non-remedial/developmental courses to be eligible to receive the scholarship for the second year of enrollment in non-remedial/developmental courses. Credit hours earned during the student's first two term(s) of remedial/developmental enrollment will not be used to determine remaining Scholarship eligibility at the completion of remediation unless the student has completed at least twelve credit hours of non-remedial/developmental coursework each term of enrollment.

K. Students receiving a LIFE Scholarship are not eligible to receive a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, SC HOPE Scholarship or Lottery Tuition Assistance in the same academic year.

L. Students who have already been awarded their first bachelor's degree or graduate degree are not eligible to receive the LIFE Scholarship. In cases where students are enrolled in a program of study that is structured so as not to require a bachelor's degree for acceptance into the program and leads to a graduate degree, which will be the students' first academic degree awarded, the students must maintain their undergraduate status in order to receive a LIFE Scholarship and a LIFE Scholarship Enhancement each academic term, with the exception of students majoring in the Doctor of Pharmacy Program at South University, the Doctor of Pharmacy Program at Presbyterian College, the Master's of Science in Physician Assistant Studies Program at the Medical University of South Carolina, the Doctor of Pharmacy Program at the University of South Carolina-Columbia and the Doctor of Pharmacy Program at the Medical University of South Carolina.

M. All documents required for determining LIFE Scholarship eligibility must be submitted to the institution by their established deadline(s). Students must submit official transcripts from all previous and current institutions, which provide evidence to calculate the "LIFE GPA," determine initial college enrollment and earned annual credit hour requirement. Students that complete coursework at another institution at any time during the academic year (fall, spring, summer) must submit an official transcript to the home institution at the end of the academic year to determine eligibility for the LIFE Scholarship.

N. First-time entering freshmen who attended out-of-state preparatory high schools or graduated from a South Carolina high school prior to the full implementation of the South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy must have their high school transcript converted to the UGP in order to qualify for the LIFE Scholarship. It is the responsibility of the out-of-state preparatory high school or South Carolina high school to convert the student's GPA to the Uniform Grading Policy.

O. To be eligible for a LIFE Scholarship Enhancement each academic year, the student must:

1. Meet all of the eligibility requirements at the end of each academic year to receive a LIFE Scholarship as stipulated by state law and regulation and be a recipient of LIFE Scholarship funds at the time of LIFE Scholarship Enhancement disbursement. The student must receive the underlying LIFE Scholarship;

2. Be enrolled as a full-time, degree-seeking student in a declared major of science or mathematics in an eligible program that is approved and assigned a CIP code by the Commission on Higher Education at the time of disbursement of LIFE Scholarship Enhancement funds. Eligible programs include degrees awarded in math and science fields, computer science or informational technology, engineering, science education, math education and healthcare and related disciplines including medicine and dentistry. The student must meet all requirements for satisfactory academic progress towards completion of the declared major as established by the policies of both the institution and the academic department in which the student is enrolled;

3. Be enrolled at an eligible four-year public or independent institution located in South Carolina;

4. Beginning with the Fall 2007 freshman class and thereafter, all students must have successfully completed a total of at least fourteen credit hours of instruction in mathematics and life and physical science courses, in any combination, by the end of the student's first year of enrollment in college (based on initial date of college enrollment). For purposes of meeting the required minimum level of instruction in mathematics and life and physical science courses during a student's first year, Exempted Credit Hours placed on the student's official college transcript by the institution at which they were earned, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Dual Enrollment, Pass/Fail courses with a grade of "Pass" (only), Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory courses with a grade of "Satisfactory" (only), International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and Advanced Placement (AP) courses in mathematics and life and physical sciences taken in high school in which the student scored a three or more on the advanced placement test and received college credit may count toward the fulfillment of this minimum requirement. The Commission will issue a list of eligible courses by CIP code for determining eligible coursework to meet the fourteen credit hour requirement. Remedial/developmental, continuing education, non-degree credit coursework and credit hours earned for courses taken after the end of the student's first year of college enrollment cannot be used to meet the specified minimum fourteen credit hour course level requirement to gain eligibility to receive the LIFE Scholarship Enhancement;

5. Meet the continued eligibility requirements for the LIFE Scholarship of a minimum 3.0 LIFE GPA and a minimum average of 30 credit hours by the end of each academic year;

6. Be in the second, third or fourth year of full-time enrollment (based on initial date of college enrollment after high school graduation) at an eligible four-year public or independent institution in South Carolina. Students enrolled full-time in an eligible, approved five-year degree program may also be eligible to receive a LIFE Scholarship Enhancement in their fifth year of college enrollment (based on initial date of college enrollment); and

7. Students who initially enroll in college mid-year (i.e., spring term) as a freshman and meet the requirements under Section 62-1200.10 may be eligible to receive a LIFE Scholarship Enhancement at the beginning of the spring term of the next academic year (i.e., beginning with the third consecutive term of full-time enrollment based on initial date of college enrollment). The student must earn a minimum average of 15 credit hours and a 3.0 LIFE GPA to be awarded a LIFE Scholarship the following academic year and a minimum average of 30 credit hours by the end of the first academic year (i.e., by the end of the fall term or second consecutive term of full-time enrollment based on initial date of college enrollment) of enrollment to receive a LIFE Scholarship Enhancement beginning the spring term of the second, third and/or fourth year of college enrollment.

P. The LIFE Scholarship and LIFE Scholarship Enhancement are to be annual awards. Half of the Scholarship and Enhancement funds are to be disbursed in the fall and half are to be disbursed in the spring. In the cases where students who initially enroll in college mid-year (i.e., spring term) as a freshman and meet the requirements under Sections 62-1200.10 (O) and 62-1200.15 (C), such student shall be awarded the LIFE Scholarship Enhancement one year after initial college enrollment (i.e., spring term). Students who change their major from an ineligible degree program to an eligible degree program during the same academic year shall not receive the LIFE Scholarship Enhancement until the beginning of the next academic year (i.e., fall term). Students who change their major from an eligible degree program to an ineligible degree program during the same academic year may continue to receive the LIFE Scholarship Enhancement during the current academic year; however, the student cannot be awarded the LIFE Scholarship Enhancement the next academic year of enrollment in an ineligible degree program. During the student's final term of attendance, not to exceed the eighth term of enrollment based on initial college enrollment, the institution may prorate the LIFE Scholarship and the LIFE Scholarship Enhancement award amount, for the number of credit hours attempted for the current term of attendance, which must be the term of graduation for the student. Proration will be based on 12 credit hours.

S.C. Code Regs. § 62-1200.10

Added by State Register Volume 33, Issue No. 6, eff June 26, 2009. Amended by State Register Volume 35, Issue No. 6, eff June 24, 2011; State Register Volume 45, Issue No. 05, eff. 5/28/2021; State Register Volume 46, Issue No. 05, eff. 5/27/2022.