Below are the general eligibility requirements:

• U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen under state residency statutes.
• South Carolina resident at the time of high school graduation and during the period of the award.
• Graduated from a South Carolina high school or was a dependent of a parent or guardian who was a legal resident of South Carolina at the time of the student’s high school graduation.
• Full-time undergraduate seeking a first baccalaureate degree.
• Must not have been judged delinquent nor have been convicted or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any felony in any state.
• Must not have been convicted of any second alcohol- or drug-related misdemeanor in any state for 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.

For Early Awards, the high school counselor/representative must submit the application and require documentation to the Commission on Higher Education (CHE) for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship by April 15^th of the student’s senior year. If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday the deadline is the preceding Friday (students cannot use the Early Awards criteria to be eligible for the Late Awards). Students are eligible to apply if they meet one of the following sets of academic requirements:

• Score at least 1200 on the SAT (27 on the ACT) by the March national test administration,earn a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA on the SC Uniform Grading Policy (SC UGP) at the end of the junior year, and rank in the top six percent3 of the class at the end of either the sophomore or the junior year;  OR
• Score at least 1400 on the SAT (32 on the ACT) by the March national test administration and earn a minimum 4.00 cumulative GPA on the SC UGP at the end of the junior year.

For Late Awards, the high school counselor/representative must submit the application and required documentation to the CHE for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship by June 30^th of the student’s senior year. If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday the deadline is the preceding Friday. High school seniors are eligible to apply if they meet one of the following sets of academic requirements:

• Score at least 1200 on the SAT (27 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 percent3 of the class at the end of the sophomore, junior or senior year; OR
• Score at least 1400 on the SAT (32 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.

Other information about these factors:

• To use rank as an eligibility criterion, the high school or home school association must have a policy on the rank that has been reviewed to verify compliance with the South Carolina Uniform Grading Policy and established Regulations for the State Scholarship programs. For the PFS those schools and home school associations that do rank as a policy, and have fewer than twenty students, then the top two students (at the end of either the sophomore, junior, or senior academic year) regardless of rank will be able to use rank as an eligibility criterion. If your high school or home school association does not rank as a policy, or the student does not meet the rank eligibility requirement, then the student will need to use the Alternate eligibility Criteria for the State scholarship programs.
• Private institutions that do not utilize the SC Uniform Grading Policy, out-of-state high schools, and the third option must contact the Commission to determine which eligibility criteria must be used to qualify. If a school does not rank as a policy, the second eligibility criteria must be met.
• GPA’s must be reported to at least two decimal places and cannot be rounded. Rank is calculated by multiplying the number in class by six percent. If the result is not a whole number, then you should round it up to the next whole number. For example, a class size of 185 students would include the top twelve students since 11.1 rounds up to twelve (185 x 6% = 11.1, rounded to the next whole number of 12)

Students must meet the following requirements for their Palmetto Fellows scholarship to be renewed each year.

• Must earn a total of 30 credit hours each academic year. Any hours earned prior to high school graduation, hours exempted by examination and Advanced Placement credit do not count toward the 30-hour requirement.
• You must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA on all courses taken at Furman. Courses taken at other institutions will not affect the grade point average requirement for Palmetto Fellows.
• If you do not meet the above criteria at the end of the Spring semester, your Palmetto Fellows award will be withdrawn. If you make up the deficiency during the Summer Session, please notify us and the award will be reinstated.
• Coursework taken at other institutions and accepted for credit by Furman University can be used to satisfy the 30-hour requirement.

Terms

Students may receive Palmetto Fellows for up to eight semesters (four years) of undergraduate study starting when they initially enroll in an accredited university.

Students can opt to take a gap year between high school graduation and beginning college and still qualify for Palmetto Fellows under two conditions:

• No college coursework is taken during the gap year.
• A reapplication for Palmetto Fellows is submitted to CHE

Timeline

For the 2023-2024 academic year and beyond, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) will begin accepting Palmetto Fellows applications for Early Awards around May 1 during students’ junior year in high school and will continue accepting applications through April 15 of their senior year. Late award applications can be submitted between May 15 and June 30 of the senior year.

• The Palmetto Fellows Scholarship is credited to your student account to satisfy any charges. Excess aid is refunded to the student. If all tuition and fees are satisfied and you are enrolled full-time, excess aid is refunded to the student and can be used for any college-related expenses, including off-campus housing.
• The Palmetto Fellows Scholarship is typically available during the Fall and Spring semesters. If a student is participating in a Furman affiliated study abroad program or affiliate program, they may still be awarded the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship at Furman.
• Students must complete a School Designation Form with the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) office in order for their scholarship to be disbursed at their designated university. CHE will send an email with this information to the student’s email address used on the Palmetto Fellows application.  If you cannot locate the form, please contact their office directly for further instruction at phone: )864) 856-0672.