Meeting Street Scholarships Now Open Statewide to Seniors

COLUMBIA, S.C. — High school seniors in every South Carolina county can now compete for a college scholarship worth as much as $40,000, after state lawmakers set aside $18.7 million in this year’s budget to carry the Meeting Street program beyond its original footprint. Representatives of the nonprofit fund began visiting high schools Monday to explain the offer, and applications open Nov. 9.

The award is aimed at students who show both need and achievement. To qualify, a student must be eligible for a federal Pell Grant and also earn the state’s LIFE or Palmetto Fellows award, both paid for with lottery money. The money covers costs other aid leaves unpaid, up to $10,000 a year, and recipients have to hold at least a B average to keep it.

Eligibility also widened this year. Earlier, only graduates of public high schools in South Carolina could apply; now private school and homeschool graduates are eligible as well.

There is a new work rule as well. Beginning this school year, second- and third-year students must log 250 hours to keep the award, whether through campus or off-campus employment, an internship or research work. Beemok Education, which runs the fund, says more than 80% of recipients already met that bar.

How the money flows depends on the county. The program started with Charleston County students in the Class of 2021 and grew to 14 counties on private donations, which have totaled roughly $88 million in commitments. Those 14 legacy counties stay privately funded, while state lottery profits pay for the 32-county expansion, an estimated 2,300 awards next school year. Nearly 3,000 members of the Class of 2027 could attend college on the scholarship.

The long-term bill is larger. When the program is fully in place in 2030, about 10,000 students a year would hold the award, and the state cost is projected to top $30 million next year and reach about $60 million a year by the fourth year. House budget leaders have voiced support but say it is too early to know whether that money will be there.

Supporters point to the results so far. Of roughly 2,220 students awarded the scholarship since 2021, 88% have graduated or are still enrolled. Among graduates, 70% finished with no debt, and four in five took jobs in South Carolina. On average the award closes a $7,900 gap after other aid, and close to half of recipients are the first in their family to attend college.

Filed under: Irmo SC Education News