South Carolina student grants: SC Need-Based Grant, Tuition Grants, SC WINS and WIOA (2026-27)

The SC Need-Based Grant at public campuses

Regulation 62-470 caps the grant at $3,500 a year for full-time students (12 or more credit hours) and $1,750 for part-time students (6 to 11 hours). A school can pay it over up to three terms, but no more than half the year’s amount in any one term ⁠². The Commission may raise the cap for inflation. It has not posted a different cap for 2026-27 on any page we could open, and campuses often pay less. Winthrop University, for example, says its typical award is $3,200 a year ⁠³. The grant is awarded last. The college first counts every federal, state, private and institutional grant, then fills only the need that remains ⁠¹⁠².

Source: S.C. Code of Regulations 62-465(B) and 62-470(B) ⁠². Students in South Carolina Department of Social Services custody get first priority for the full maximum, if their unmet need is at least that large ⁠².

To qualify, you must have lived in South Carolina for 12 consecutive months before enrolling. You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen whose lawful presence the college has verified, and you must be seeking your first credential in an eligible program ⁠¹⁠². Certificate and diploma programs must run at least one year ⁠¹. Anyone with a bachelor’s degree is ineligible. So is anyone who owes a refund on a state grant, Pell or SEOG, or is in default on a federal student loan ⁠². A felony bars you. A second alcohol or drug offense costs you the next academic year, and each year you sign an affidavit confirming you have none ⁠¹⁠². If you have earned college credit before and are applying for the first time, you need a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 ⁠².

Keeping the grant: 24 hours and a 2.0 GPA

You must reapply with a new FAFSA every year, and renewal is never automatic ⁠²⁠³. To stay eligible, earn at least 24 credit hours in the regular academic year if your grant was full-time, or 12 hours if it was part-time, and keep a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher ⁠². Summer or interim hours cannot make up a shortfall from fall and spring ⁠². Students approved by their campus disability services office for a reduced load are judged against that approved load instead ⁠². If you disagree with a decision, write to your college’s Director of Financial Aid. Each campus runs its own appeal process ⁠².

SC Tuition Grants at the 21 independent colleges

If you attend Furman, Wofford, Claflin, Benedict, Anderson, Charleston Southern, Coker, Converse, Newberry, Presbyterian or one of the other participating private nonprofit colleges, your state need-based aid arrives as an SC Tuition Grant ⁠²⁠⁶. On March 10, 2026 the Commission set the 2026-27 maximum at $5,000. That ties 2025-26 for the highest maximum in the program’s 56 years ⁠⁴. In 2025-26 the average award was $4,406 ⁠⁶. Your award depends on income, assets, family size, your college’s cost of attendance, and how much money the legislature provides ⁠⁵.

The rules are stricter than for public schools. You must enroll full time, at least 12 eligible credit hours each semester, in a first undergraduate degree ⁠⁵. The grant does not pay for summer school or part-time terms, and you must enroll in the fall to get the full-year award ⁠⁶. You, or your parents if you are a dependent student, must have been domiciled in South Carolina for at least 12 months before the fall term ⁠⁵. For 2026-27, the FAFSA had to reach the Commission by August 1, 2026, and verification and the drug and alcohol affidavit had to be finished by December 15 ⁠⁵. Renewal students get no priority. You reapply each year, for up to eight semesters ⁠⁵⁠⁶.

Technical college money: SC WINS on top of Lottery Tuition Assistance

South Carolina’s technical colleges stack up to three layers of state aid under Pell and the Need-Based Grant.

Lottery Tuition Assistance is for residents of at least one year who enroll in at least 6 credit hours each semester in a certificate, diploma or degree program ⁠⁷. It covers tuition left after federal and need-based grants, but not other fees or books ⁠⁷. You cannot hold a LIFE Scholarship at the same time. Once you have attempted 24 hours, you need a 2.0 GPA to keep it ⁠⁷. The per-student amount is set each year by the budget and the two state boards. We could not find a published 2026-27 figure on an official page we could open, so ask your college’s aid office.

SC WINS (South Carolina Workforce Industry Needs Scholarship) pays tuition, fees and required course materials left after all other federal and state grants and scholarships, up to $5,000 a year ⁠⁷. It lasts up to three years for an associate degree, or two years for a certificate, diploma or industry-recognized credential ⁠⁷. You must be a South Carolina resident in an eligible career program. You also must meet one of three conditions: be employed, take the college’s financial literacy course, or log 100 hours of volunteer service with an approved nonprofit or public agency ⁠⁷. Colleges give priority to programs in sectors that the state technical college board names as regional or statewide workforce needs. They must also set aside at least 5% of SC WINS money for dual-enrollment high school students ⁠⁷. Practices vary by campus. York Technical College covers tuition and instructional fees only, not books or tools, and accepts students taking fewer than 6 hours, including non-credit career courses. It excludes University Transfer AA/AS programs and requires the 2026-27 FAFSA for fall 2026 through summer 2027 ⁠⁸.

If you cannot file the FAFSA in South Carolina

South Carolina has no state form that replaces the FAFSA for the SC Need-Based Grant or SC Tuition Grants. Both programs require a FAFSA ⁠²⁠⁵. There is one narrow exception. For Lottery Tuition Assistance, a student who clearly will not qualify for federal aid can complete a short state screening form and sign a waiver instead of filing the FAFSA ⁠⁷. State law also bars students who are unlawfully present in the U.S. from attending public colleges, and public colleges must verify lawful presence before paying a Need-Based Grant ⁠². Students who are lawfully present but have trouble filing should ask the college’s aid office before the priority date.

Pell, and Workforce Pell’s slow start in South Carolina

The federal Pell Grant pays $740 to $7,395 for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 ⁠¹³. Because the SC Need-Based Grant is awarded only after Pell, a student who gets the full Pell amount can still receive the state grant only if need remains ⁠².

Workforce Pell pays for short job-training programs. In South Carolina, the Governor gave approval authority to the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development, which works with the State Workforce Development Board. The Department of Employment and Workforce runs the program, and the council’s Executive Committee makes final state decisions before the U.S. Department of Education rules ⁠⁹. A program must last 8 to under 15 weeks and 150 to 600 clock hours, with at least 70% completion and job placement ⁠⁹. Bachelor’s degree holders can receive Workforce Pell. Students in these programs cannot get Direct Loans, but WIOA money can be combined with it ⁠¹⁴. For now, the state accepts only programs that train for 24 pilot occupations. These include EMTs and paramedics, nursing and medical assistants, phlebotomists, welders, CNC operators and programmers, line installers, heavy equipment and crane operators, and truck and bus drivers ⁠¹⁰. Each qualifies by paying at least $21.52 an hour or $44,760 a year, or by having at least 61 openings a year in South Carolina ⁠¹⁰. As of October 20, 2026, the SC Works page lists no approved South Carolina program, so ask your college’s financial aid office before you count on this money ⁠⁹⁠¹².

SC Works Centers and WIOA training accounts

The Department of Employment and Workforce runs WIOA through 12 Local Workforce Development Areas: Worklink, Midlands, Santee-Lynches, Pee Dee, Upper Savannah, Lower Savannah, Waccamaw, Catawba, Lowcountry, Trident, Greenville and Upstate ⁠¹¹⁠¹². Each area sets its own eligibility procedures and its own cost and duration limits. Depending on local policy, funds can cover tuition, books and support services ⁠¹¹. Training is paid through an Individual Training Account. The ITA covers only providers and programs on the state Eligible Training Provider List, which lives in SC Works Online Services. Being on the list does not guarantee funding ⁠¹². WIOA training money is limited to people who cannot get enough grant aid, such as Pell, to cover their training. SC Works staff must check other sources first ⁠¹⁵. Registered apprenticeships on the list can also be paid with an ITA, with on-the-job wages reimbursed under a separate contract ⁠¹².

Filing for 2027-28 in South Carolina, step by step

1. File the 2027-28 FAFSA early

   List every South Carolina college you are considering. Campus deadlines differ. Winthrop gives priority to FAFSAs filed by January 15, 2027 ⁠³. The Tuition Grants deadline was August 1 in both 2025-26 and 2026-27 ⁠⁵⁠⁶.

2. Confirm your residency

   Have proof of 12 months of domicile ready, along with proof of lawful presence if your college asks ⁠¹⁠².

3. Finish verification and the affidavit

   Public colleges need your signed conviction affidavit every year. For Tuition Grants, every requirement must be met by December 15 ⁠²⁠⁵.

4. At a technical college, ask about SC WINS

   Have proof of a job, a financial literacy course completion or 100 volunteer hours, and confirm your program is on the state list ⁠⁷⁠⁸.

5. For short-term training, visit an SC Works Center

   Bring ID and proof of income and work history. Pick a program from the Eligible Training Provider List, and ask whether it is also approved for Workforce Pell ⁠¹¹⁠¹².

6. Protect renewal

   Earn 24 hours (12 if part-time) in fall and spring with a 2.0 GPA. To appeal a Need-Based Grant decision, write to the campus Director of Financial Aid ⁠².