Life and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships

Palmetto Fellows Scholarship at a Glance

Who can get the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship?

The Palmetto Fellows scholarship program is for SC high school graduates who meet all of the following requirements.

Palmetto Fellows Requirements:

• Initial application for this scholarship must be submitted during the student's senior year of high school by the school counselor/representative.
• Graduate with one of the following from an accredited South Carolina high school, approved South Carolina home school, or accredited out-of-state high school while a dependent of a legal SC resident in accordance with State Statute 59-112-10:
• Score at least 1200 on the SAT (25* on the ACT) by the June national test administration of the senior year; earn a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA on the SC UGP at the end of the senior year; and, rank in the top six percent of the class at the end of the sophomore, junior or senior year; OR
• Score at least 1400 on the SAT (31* on the ACT) by the June national test administration of the senior year and earn a minimum 4.00 cumulative GPA on the SC UGP at the end of the senior year.
• Complete the Palmetto Fellows Affidavit in the student’s MyTCTC Student Portal (my.tctc.edu)
• Transfer students will need to complete the In-State Transfer Form and get approval from the Commission on Higher Education.  The form is located here.
• To qualify for Palmetto Fellows each semester students must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours).
• To keep the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship after the first year, students must earn at least a 3.0 GPA and 30 college-level credit hours during the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms.

*Minimum ACT score has changed starting with the graduating class of 2023 and beyond.

Rules and Regulations

• For SC residents- the total Palmetto Fellows scholarship will not exceed $6,700 (for the first academic year) and $7,500 (for the second academic year). The scholarship will be divided equally between fall and spring semesters.
• Palmetto Fellows Scholarship may be used for the summer term if the student meets the renewal criteria at the end of the spring semester. The student must be attending at least 12 hours for summer and must take the hours at their home institution.
• Students who wish to use Palmetto Fellows Scholarship in summer must self-identify to the Financial Aid office. Using Palmetto Fellows during summer will not extend Palmetto Fellows eligibility.
• Remedial/developmental courses or non-degree DO NOT count towards the 12 credit hours needed (examples include: ENG 031, ENG 032, ENG 100, ENG 150, RDG 032, RDG 100, MAT 010, MAT 012, MAT 031, MAT 032, MAT 150, BIO 100, CHM 100, HSS100).

For further information pertaining to the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship or Palmetto Fellows Enhancement, please click here.

*If you are a Bridge to Clemson student, you can find information on LIFE and Palmetto Fellows Enhancement majors and classes.

Projected Cumulative GPA Calculator

You can use this calculator to project your cumulative LIFE or Palmetto Fellows GPA based on the values you enter for the number of credits for each course you are taking and the letter grade you are expecting to earn in each course.

LIFE – Include hours earned from AP/IB/CLEP passed exams, hours and GPA from dual enrollment courses. Do NOT include hours/GPA from remedial/developmental courses.

Palmetto Fellows – Cannot include AP, IB, CLEP or dual enrolled hours/GPA. Do NOT include hours/GPA from remedial/developmental courses.

This is only a projected GPA meant to assist eligible LIFE or Palmetto Fellow recipients. Click the link to use the calculator.