The LIFE Scholarship is an academic scholarship funded by the State of South Carolina. All students must meet these eligibility requirements:

• Have graduated from a high school located in South Carolina, graduated from an approved home-school program as defined in the State Statue, Sections 59-65-40, 45, and 47, or a preparatory high school located outside of the state while the student is a dependent of a legal resident of South Carolina who has custody or pays child support and college expenses of the dependent high school student, and
• Be a legal resident of South Carolina and a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen, and
• Have no felony convictions, and
• Not been adjudicated delinquent, convicted or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any second or subsequent alcohol or drug related offense for one academic year, and
• Not owe a repayment to a federal or state grant or be in default on any state or federal student loan, and
• Enroll full-time (minimum of 12 non-remedial credit hours per semester) in a degree, diploma or certificate program.

In addition, a first-time freshman must:

• Have earned a minimum 3.0 high school cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale, and
• Submit the final, official high school transcript to the SCC admissions center.

A continuing student may gain eligibility by:

• Earning a GED diploma if not a high school graduate, and
• Earning at least 15 credit hours for every semester elapsed since the initial enrollment in a post-secondary institution whether or not enrollment was continuous, and
• Earning a minimum cumulative collegiate GPA of 3.0, and
• Submitting to the SCC admissions center an official transcript from each post-secondary institution attended.

A transfer student must:

• Earn at least 15 credit hours for every semester elapsed since the initial enrollment in a post-secondary institution whether or not enrollment was continuous, and
• Earn a minimum cumulative collegiate GPA of 3.0, and
• Submit to the SCC admissions center an official transcript from each post-secondary institution attended.

To have the scholarship renewed for a second academic year, you must:

• Earn at least 30 non-remedial credit hours (or 15 non-remedial credit hours if eligibility began during a spring semester). Note: You need to take 12 non-remedial credit hours per semester to receive LIFE, but to renew LIFE the following year you must earn at least 30 non-remedial credit hours (or 15 non-remedial credit hours if eligibility began during a spring semester). You may need to take additional credit hours during the fall and spring semesters or enroll during the summer semester.
• Earn a minimum cumulative collegiate GPA of 3.0 (excluding grades for remedial courses and excluding grades for any non-remedial courses earned prior to the spring semester if eligibility began during a spring semester).
• Have terms of eligibility remaining. You may receive the LIFE Scholarship for two semesters if enrolled in a one-year program or for four semesters if enrolled in a two-year program.

What if I Graduate Early from High School?

Students who complete all requirements for high school graduation prior to the official graduation date in May or June may be eligible to receive the LIFE Scholarship for the spring term if they meet all initial and general eligibility criteria.

The following must be submitted to SCC by the last day of the spring term:

• An official high school transcript in a sealed envelope. The transcript must include all grades through January and a cumulative GPA based on the S.C. Uniform Grading Policy, the Date Calculated and
• A letter from your high school principal on the school s letterhead indicating you have completed all requirements for high school graduation.

Submit to the SCC Financial Aid Office:

The completed LIFE Early High School Graduation Form.

Questions about eligibility should be addressed to the LIFE Scholarship Coordinator in the SCC financial aid office.

Why Do Students Who are Eligible for LIFE Sometimes Not Receive It?

• To be admitted to SCC, you must take a skills assessment. Depending on your scores, you may need to take refresher courses in math, reading or English. These refresher courses are also referred to as remedial or transitional courses.
• You cannot use a LIFE Scholarship until you are enrolled in at least 12 non-remedial credit hours during a semester. Remedial courses are not covered by LIFE.
• If you need to take remedial courses, then your LIFE Scholarship can be deferred for up to one year.
• Zero and 100 level are considered remedial courses. (MAT 031 and RDG 100 are examples.)
• If you need remediation, you should discuss all possibilities with your academic advisor. But, the financial aid office does not recommend taking 12 non-remedial credit hours at the same time that you are enrolled in remedial classes. You may negatively affect your ability to renew the LIFE Scholarship.

What are Some Other Things That I Need to Know about the LIFE Scholarship?

• See below for LIFE eligibility during a summer semester.
• You cannot receive LIFE and Lottery Tuition Assistance. If you receive LIFE during a fall or spring semester, you cannot receive Lottery Tuition Assistance during the following summer semester.
• If eligible, you must sign a certification form each year.
• Questions about eligibility should be addressed to the LIFE Scholarship coordinator in the financial aid office.