South Carolina Code of Regulations
Chapter 62 - STATE COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Article III - STUDENT AND INSTITUTION ASSISTANCE
Subarticle A - PALMETTO FELLOWS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Section 62-320 - Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Application

Universal Citation: SC Code Regs 62-320

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 9, September 27, 2024

A. The Commission on Higher Education will send information regarding the application process to all South Carolina high schools, home school associations and district superintendents. High schools and/or home school associations that do not receive information regarding the application process from the Commission on Higher Education by the beginning of each application process must contact the Commission for information. It is the sole responsibility of the high schools, home schools, home school associations, and district superintendents to contact CHE regarding the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship program including the application process. High school officials will identify students who meet the specified eligibility criteria by each established deadline. High school officials must submit applications (both electronic and paper documentation) no later than the established deadline(s) along with the appropriate signatures, official transcripts and test score verification to the Commission on Higher Education. High school officials must certify each eligible applicant's signature form. Students who are enrolled at out-of-state high schools are personally responsible for contacting the Commission on Higher Education about the application process and must adhere to the same established deadline(s).

B. The high schools and home school associations must submit a list to the Commission on Higher Education indicating the names of all students who meet the eligibility criteria at their high school. The list should indicate whether the student is submitting a completed application or declining the opportunity to apply. If the student declines the opportunity to apply, the high school will submit a form for each of these students, signed by both the student and the parent/guardian and indicating the reason(s) for not submitting an application. Students who decline to apply for the Scholarship forfeit any future eligibility under this Program.

C. Applications for early awards must be submitted to the Commission on Higher Education for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship by the date established each academic year. Students must meet one of the following set of academic criteria in order to be eligible to apply for the early awards (students cannot use the early awards criteria to apply during the late awards):

1. Score at least 1200 on the SAT or 25 on the ACT through the test administration date as determined by CHE of the senior year; earn a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA on the current South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy (UGP) at the end of the junior year; and rank in the top six percent of the class at the end of either the sophomore or the junior year; or

2. The alternate criteria of a score at least 1400 on the SAT or 31 on the ACT through the test administration date as determined by CHE of the senior year and earn a minimum 4.00 cumulative GPA on the UGP at the end of the junior year, without regard to class rank.

3. High schools or home school associations that do not rank as an official policy; or high schools whose grading policy deviates from the current South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy and do not convert the graduating class grades to the current South Carolina UGP to determine class rank, must use the alternate criteria of meeting the academic requirements for the Palmetto Fellow Scholarship.

4. High schools or home school associations shall not use ranking for the sole purpose of obtaining eligibility for the state scholarships.

D. Applications for late awards must be submitted to the Commission on Higher Education for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship by the date established in June each academic year. Students must meet one of the following set of academic criteria in order to be eligible to apply for the late awards:

1. Score at least 1200 on the SAT or 25 on the ACT through the test administration date as determined by CHE of the senior year; earn a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA on the 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

2. Score at least 1400 on the SAT or 31 on the ACT through the test administration date as determined by CHE of the senior year and earn a minimum 4.00 cumulative GPA on the UGP at the end of the senior year, without regard to class rank.

3. High schools or home school associations that do not rank as a policy; or high schools whose grading policy deviates from the current South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy and that do not convert the graduating class grades to the current South Carolina UGP to determine class rank, must use the alternate criteria of meeting the academic requirements for the Palmetto Fellow Scholarship.

4. High schools or home school associations shall not use ranking for the sole purpose of obtaining eligibility for the state scholarships.

E. Students must have official verification that they earned the requisite score on the SAT or an equivalent ACT score. In order to determine the minimum composite score for the SAT, students must use the highest Math score combined with the highest Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score. However, students cannot use the Essay subsection score to meet the minimum SAT score requirement. In order to determine the minimum composite score for the ACT, students must use the highest English score combined with the highest Math score, Reading score and Science score.

F. Grade point averages must be based on the current South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy, reported with at least two decimal places, and may not be rounded up. The South Carolina 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. No coursework completed after the date of uniform calculation can be included in the end of the year GPA. Student must meet the scholarship eligibility criteria within four years of high school coursework.

G. Class rank must be based on the South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy using diploma candidates only. Class rank is determined at the end of the sophomore, junior and senior years (not the beginning of the next school year) before including any summer school coursework or including any students who transfer into your high school after the school year ended in May/June. Students cannot be removed from the class because they did not meet the eligibility criteria to apply, declined to apply, 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. Only one student may occupy each place in class rank. 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 South Carolina 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.

H. The number of students included in the top six percent of the class will be the next whole number if the top six percent is not already a whole number. For example, a class size of 185 students would include the top twelve students since 11.1 rounds up to twelve. For those high schools that officially rank as a policy (see section 62-320.G.) with fewer than twenty students in the class, the top two students (students ranked as number one and two) shall be considered for the Scholarship regardless of whether they rank in the top six percent of the class. These students must meet all other eligibility criteria.

I. In order to apply for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship using rank as one of the eligibility criteria, home school students must be a member of an approved home school program (as defined in relevant State Statute) that provides an official class rank for their members. All high schools (see section 62-310.N.) and home school associations must submit a rank report on official school/association letterhead that includes the class rank and GPA based on the current South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy for all students in the applicant's class. If a student is unable to obtain rank verification, he/she may also be eligible to apply using the alternative criteria of scoring at least 1400 on the SAT (or 31 on the ACT) and earning a minimum 4.00 cumulative GPA on the South Carolina UGP, without regard to class rank. These students must meet all other eligibility criteria.

J. For schools or home school associations that do not rank as an official policy, students must use the alternate criteria to meet eligibility requirements for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship.

K. 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 Commission on Higher Education determines that a state-approved standardized grading scale substantially deviates from the South Carolina Uniform Grading Scale, the state-approved, standardized grading scale shall not be used to meet the eligibility requirements for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship. The school 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 current South Carolina UGP to determine if the student ranks within the top six percent of the class and must provide a ranking report that identifies all students in the applicant's class and their respective GPA's based on the South Carolina UGP. When converting scores to the South Carolina UGP, weighting must adhere to the South Carolina UGP (i.e. honors no more than .50 and AP/IB no more than 1.0). In addition, scores/grades must correspond to the South Carolina UGP. For example, if a student earned a 90 in an honors class, the conversion of the scores/grades must be equivalent to the points assigned according to the current South Carolina UGP. To be considered equivalent, 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 51 and 59 (if a course with a numerical average of < 51 is considered passing by the high school the student earned the grade, then a 65 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" letter grades must be converted a 50 numerical average.

L. Students who attend out-of-state preparatory high school may also be eligible to apply by using the alternative criteria of scoring at least 1400 on the SAT (or 31 on the ACT) and earning a minimum 4.00 cumulative GPA on the current South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy. The student's school counselor must convert the student's grades to the UGP to determine if the student meets the GPA requirement. These students must meet all other eligibility criteria, including South Carolina residency requirements.

M. Students submitted for the late award will need to make arrangements for tuition and fee payments as a student will not be notified of their PFS status in enough time to meet any institutionally established payment deadlines.

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