LIFE Scholarship

General Eligibility Requirements

 

Eligibility Requirements for Entering Freshmen

 

Eligibility Requirements for Continuing Students

 

Eligibility Requirements for Transfer Students

 

Terms of Eligibility

 

Appeals

 

Award Information

 

LIFE Scholarship Enhancement

 

Additional Information

General Eligibility Requirements

All students must meet the following requirements:

• Must be a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident that meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under state residency statutes.

• Must be a South Carolina resident at the time of high school graduation and at the time of college enrollment.

• Must be one of the following:

  • a member of a class graduating from a high school located in South Carolina; or

  • a student who has successfully completed at least three of the final four years of high school within SC; or

  • a home school student who has successfully completed a high school home school program in SC in the manner required by law*; or

  • a student graduating from a preparatory high school outside of SC while a dependent of a legal resident of SC who has custody or pays child support and college expenses of the dependent; or

  • a student whose parent or guardian has served in or has retired from one of the US Armed Forces within the last four years, paid income taxes in SC for a majority of the years of service, and is a resident of SC;

• Must be a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident that meets the definition of an eligible non-citizen under state residency statutes.

• Must be a South Carolina resident at the time of high school graduation and at the time of college enrollment.

• Must be admitted, enrolled full-time, and classified as a degree-seeking undergraduate student in an eligible institution in SC. (A USC Aiken student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 USCA credit hours per semester.)

• Must never have been adjudicated delinquent and must never have been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any felony in any state.

• Must not have been adjudicated delinquent nor have been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere to a second or subsequent alcohol or drug-related misdemeanor in any state within 12 months prior to the period of the award.

• Must not be in default or owe a refund or repayment on any Federal or State financial aid.

• Must not be a recipient of a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, a SC HOPE Scholarship or Lottery Tuition Assistance.
   

  * Parents of home schooled students are encouraged to carefully investigate the requirements of the law before  graduation. Contact the SC Commission on Higher Education at (803) 737-2260 if you have questions or concerns about the home school association with which you are affiliated.

Eligibility Requirements for Entering Freshmen

First-time entering freshmen attending an eligible four-year institution must meet two of the following three criteria to qualify for the LIFE Scholarship:

• Meet all general eligibility requirements.

• Graduate from high school with a 3.0 cumulative grade point ratio on the SC Uniform Grading Scale

• Score an 1100 on the SAT or a 24 on the ACT

  • SAT/ACT scores are accepted through the June test date of the high school graduation year.

  • The 1100 SAT requirement includes the combined scores of the Critical Reading and Math subsections of the test. The score from the Writing subsection of the SAT is not considered for the purpose of qualifying for the LIFE Scholarship.

  • A SAT Critical  Reading score and Math score from different test administrations may be used. The ACT composite score must be from one test sitting.

• Graduate in the top 30% of the graduating class

  • The ranking percentages must be reported to two decimal places (minimum) and may not be rounded. The class rank must be based on the SC Uniform Grading Scale.

  • NOTE: A first-time entering freshman who graduates from a non-ranking South Carolina approved home school program or out-of-state preparatory school must qualify for the scholarship based on the GPA and SAT/ACT criteria.

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Eligibility Requirements for Continuing Students

Eligibility Requirements for Transfer Students

• Must meet all general eligibility requirements.

• Must have earned a minimum 3.0 LIFE GPA at all prior institutions

  • The LIFE GPA is the cumulative GPA earned at all eligible public and independent institutions attended by the student (excluding remedial/developmental courses, non-degree credit courses for an associate's degree or higher, and continuing education courses).

• Must have earned a minimum of 30 credit hours (second year transfer), 60 credit hours (third year transfer), or 90 credit hours (fourth year transfer) at the participating institution and all prior institutions (excluding remedial/developmental courses,  non-degree credit courses for an associate's degree or higher, and continuing education courses) based on initial college enrollment.

• A student whose initial college enrollment was mid-year must have earned by the beginning of the academic year (Fall semester) 15 credit hours, 45 credit hours, 75 credit hours, or 105 credit hours. The LIFE Scholarship will not be awarded mid-year in subsequent years.

• The institution to which the student is transferring will determine the classification of the transferring student and the remaining terms of eligibility available based on initial college enrollment.

• A student who received the scholarship and transfers mid-year to another institution may be eligible to receive the scholarship for the Spring term. It is the student's responsibility to contact the Office of Financial Aid for eligibility to be determined.

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Terms of Eligibility

• The maximum number of semesters in which a student at USCA may receive the LIFE Scholarship is eight (8) semesters for a four-year degree program.

• The period of eligibility for a student in a four-year program is the first eight (8) semesters after initial college enrollment. The eight-semester limit is based on enrollment only. The limit is not determined by the number of semesters the LIFE Scholarship has been received and includes periods of non-enrollment after the initial college enrollment. For example, if a student enrolls in college for the first time in Fall 2007, the last term of eligibility to receive the LIFE Scholarship for a four-year degree program will be Spring 2011.

• The LIFE Scholarship is not available to a student who is seeking a degree beyond his/her first baccalaureate degree.

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Appeals

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Additional Information

• You may access further, more detailed information on the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education website at  www.che.sc.gov/New_Web/GoingToCollege/LIFE_Hm.htm.  
   

• You may also contact the Scholarship Program Coordinator in the USC Aiken Office of Financial Aid if you have further questions or if you need additional information:

471 University Parkway  w  Aiken, SC  29801
Telephone: (803) 641-3476  w  Fax: (803) 643-6840
 E-mail: stuaid@usca.edu