The Greenwood Promise now offers a few scholarships for the junior and senior year of a bachelor’s degree. This program covers certain majors that are deemed essential and somewhat difficult to fill and we hope future funding will allow the program to expand to cover all high school graduates in Greenwood County.
Eligibility for the bachelor’s pathway is determined by residency in Greenwood County, meeting other basic requirements, and having at least the Life or Palmetto Fellows Scholarship. Students do not have to go through Piedmont Technical College to be eligible for the bachelor’s scholarship. In fact, students can gain enough credit hours while in high school to graduate with the needed credits to be an eligible junior in college.
Students attending Lander University are given priority for the scholarships, therefore, if the major is offered at Lander, the student must attend Lander to be eligible. If Lander does not offer the major, students may attend any other state-supported university in SC as long as they meet all other requirements and there are open scholarship spots.
Phase 2 FAQs
General understanding of Phase 2 and relation to Phase 1:
- The technical degree program (otherwise known as phase 1) is fully funded and will continue as it does now – making the promise to all high school graduates that they can go to PTC (or other technical colleges) tuition-free as long as they meet the requirements in place for eligibility. Using the endowment allows for the Greenwood Promise technical college pathway to exist in perpetuity. This Promise is being made to those students from kindergarten to seniors; that this funding will be there for them when they graduate.
- The bachelor’s degree program is fairly new (otherwise known as phase 2) and is a different version of the Greenwood Promise. It will cover the junior and senior year for students in a bachelor’s degree program. For now, we will only be able to cover a limited number of majors that are determined by the community to be essential, and somewhat difficult to find. Ultimately, when enough funding is available, this will expand to cover additional high school graduates from Greenwood County. In 2025-2026 school year, we will have approximately 25 spots available.
- Eligibility for the bachelor’s degree scholarships will still be determined by residency in Greenwood County, plus meet other basic requirements, and the student must have at least the Life or Palmetto Fellows Scholarship.
- The student does not have to go through a technical college to be eligible for the bachelor’s degree scholarships. The student must meet certain eligibility requirements, listed below. So, the student could complete the first two years at PTC, two years at Lander, or through high school dual enrollment obtain junior class status – they are eligible for the bachelor’s degree scholarship.
What majors will be funded for the bachelor’s degree scholarship?
A committee made up of investors in the Greenwood Promise and other knowledgeable leaders in the community created a list of priority skills needed and the majors that correlate to those skills. We will use the top 5-6 majors and allocate up to 4-5 students per category. **these will change yearly, please check back**
The list of specific majors eligible are:
- Business
- Accounting
- Healthcare
- Information Technology
- Management/Marketing
- Sciences
- Biology
- Biology
- Biology, Genetics
- Chemistry
- Health Sciences
- Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Information Technology
- Computer Information
- Networking
- Software Development
- Cybersecurity
- Data Science
- Business Analytics
- Computer Information Systems
- Computer Information
- Education
- Mathematics, Secondary Teacher Certificate
- Chemistry Education, Secondary Certificate
- Special Education
- Early Childhood Education
- Elementary Education
- Middle Level Education
- English, Secondary Teaching Certificate
- Nursing
- Nursing, Completion for Registered Nurse
- Nursing, Pre-licensure
- Engineering
- Mechanical
- Mechatronic
- Electrical
- Chemical
- Civil
- Criminology
What will be the process for choosing the 20-25 new students per year with total of 40 – 45 total students in identified majors?
- Any eligible student will need to fill out the Greenwood Promise application.
- The student will need to submit an academic progress plan that shows their credit hours are on track to complete their degree within 2 years of requesting the scholarship.
- Each applicant must complete the FAFSA application to obtain an SAI score (Student Aid Index). The SAI indicator replaces the EFC (Expected Family Contribution) to determine financial aid.
- Once a student is accepted for the Greenwood Promise as a Junior; they will automatically be selected as a senior – if they still meet all the same requirements as before.
- Below is the specific selection process
Eligibility Criteria
- Greenwood County Resident (prior to 9th grade, see sliding scale for funding below)
- Junior or Senior based on credit hours
- Approved Major (4-5 per category)
- Life or Palmetto Fellows
- Selection Criteria going forward
1st Cut
- Juniors at Lander in approved majors
- Juniors at other SC state supported universities with engineering or biochemistry majors not offered at Lander
- use SAI score to select for each major where there are more than 4-5 eligible applicants
- where 5 or less applicants for each major – candidate is selected automatically
- student selected as a junior will automatically be awarded as a senior as long as they meet all other eligibility criteria
- if less than 24 new students selected – go to 2nd Cut
2nd Cut
- all students from above, not yet awarded will be ranked according to SAI Score
- students with lowest SAI score will be awarded until every slot is filled
- if less than 24 new students are still not selected – to go 3rd Cut
3rd Cut
- Open eligibility to students from other state supported universities to those majors that are also offered at Lander
- use SAI score to select for each major where there are more than 4 eligible applicants
- where 4 or less applicants for each major – candidate is selected automatically
- student selected as a junior will automatically be awarded as a senior as long as they meet all other eligibility criteria
- if less than 24 new students are still not selected – to go 4th Cut
4th Cut
- Open eligibility to seniors
- use SAI score to select for each major where there are more than 4 eligible applicants
- where 4 or less applicants for each major – candidate is selected automatically
- student selected as a senior will only be awarded for one year
The FAFSA is an application for Federal funding based on income and ability to pay tuition. Since the SAI score will determine my selection for Greenwood Promise; will I need to receive a Pell Grant to be selected for Greenwood Promise?
- No, you do not need to receive a Pell Grant to be eligible.
- The reason that the SAI score is used is to award based on financial need when all other factors are the same. The SAI score from FAFSA is an affordability indicator.
What year did the bachelor’s degree scholarship start?
- The Bachelor scholarship began with the Fall Semester 2023
Do I automatically qualify for bachelor’s degree scholarship if I qualified for technical program?
- No, there will be a separate application process with specific criteria.
- Phase 1 and Phase 2 are both under the umbrella of The Greenwood Promise, but are different in the application process.
How many students will be funded for a bachelor’s degree?
- For the 2025-2026 school year, 30 students will be selected. If selected as a junior, the funding will continue through the senior year, as long as nothing changes in your eligibility.
- The exact number of students each year depends on the funding available in the endowment. Check back every year for updated information.
- The Greenwood Promise will continue to seek investment from donors to grow the number of scholarships available.
How do I maintain my eligibility for the senior year of my bachelor’s degree?
- Maintain the LIFE scholarship and be in good standing in a qualified bachelor’s degree program as a senior.
- Once selected as a junior, you will automatically be eligible as a senior as long as still meeting requirements
What does it mean to “be in good standing” as a junior and senior?
- The applicant must provide a document that shows they are on track to complete their course work required to graduate in their major within 4 years. This document will require approval and sign-off from the university where the student will be attending.
Do you cover the room and board or course fees?
- No, the Greenwood Promise does not cover room & board, nor specific course-related fees. The Greenwood Promise only covers the remaining amount for tuition and mandatory fees after considering state and federal scholarships and grants.
- Any other private scholarships may be applied to cover other costs.
Can a student attend PTC under Greenwood Promise for the first two years tuition-free and then be eligible for a bachelor’s degree at Lander University?
- Yes, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements. The student should plan for this path when they start taking classes at PTC and work with advisors at PTC and Lander from the beginning to ensure they take the correct classes that lead to a bachelor’s degree program.
For Phase 2, which college or university will a student be able to receive funding?
- Lander is the priority for scholarships due to limited funding, if all the spots are not filled, then Greenwood Promise will move to SC state-supported schools for approved majors not offered at Lander.
- Students majoring in engineering or biochemistry can attend any other state-supported university in SC since those are not offered at Lander University. Students must still meet all the eligibility requirements.
- If there are additional spots and/or additional funding, Greenwood Promise will message on our website and social media about this change.
Will the eligible majors ever change?
- We will review the list of majors every 2-3 years with the Greenwood area industry and community leaders to determine if these are still the primary needs and will make changes as needed.
- As the endowment grows, the number of students who will be covered with the Greenwood Promise will increase. The number of eligible majors could grow as well.
What is the deadline for Phase 2 applications?
- The following dates will apply for students who wish to receive financial assistance from Greenwood Promise.
- The bachelor’s degree scholarship application for 2025-2026 school year will begin to be accepted January 1 with application deadline for April 1st, 2025.
- The applicants will be notified of acceptance as Greenwood Promise students by May 1st, 2025.
How long do students have to use Phase 2 of The Greenwood Promise?
- Post-secondary education must be completed within 5 years of the date of high school graduation. Exceptions to this requirement are granted for military service.
How big does the Greenwood Promise Endowment need to be to fully fund 2 years of a bachelor’s degree in perpetuity?
- It is estimated that the costs for the bachelor’s degree scholarship (otherwise known as Phase 2) will be about $1.5 million per year. Therefore, an endowment needs to be about $30 million to fund this program in perpetuity.
- The Greenwood Promise will continue to seek funding from all sources to build to this endowment so that all Greenwood County high school graduates have a tuition free path to a bachelor’s degree.
Phase 2 Appendix of Additional Resources
Sliding Residency Scale
| School Years in Greenwood County | % of Tuition Assistance Funded |
|---|---|
| K-12 | 100% |
| 1-12 | 95% |
| 2-12 | 95% |
| 3-12 | 95% |
| 4-12 | 90% |
| 5-12 | 85% |
| 6-12 | 80% |
| 7-12 | 75% |
| 8-12 | 70% |
| 9-12 | 65% |
| 10-12 | 0% |
| 11-12 | 0% |
| 12-12 | 0% |