South Carolina General Assembly

General Appropriations Bill H. 4700 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1998

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14                       SECTION 13
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16     TO AMEND TITLE 59, OF THE 1976 CODE  BY ADDING CHAPTER 149 SO AS TO ESTABLISH LEGISLATIVE
17     INCENTIVES FOR FUTURE EXCELLENCE (LIFE) SCHOLARSHIPS UNDER WHICH THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
18     SHALL PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO COVER THE COST OF ATTENDANCE UP TO SPECIFIED LIMITS TO ELIGIBLE
19     RESIDENT STUDENTS ATTENDING CERTAIN PUBLIC OR INDEPENDENT TWO-YEAR AND FOUR-YEAR
20     INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN THIS STATE AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES.
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22     A.  Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
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24                             "CHAPTER 149
25
26                       Legislative Incentives for Future Excellence
27                       (LIFE) Scholarships
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29           Section 59-149-10.  Legislative Incentives for Future Excellence (LIFE) Scholarships are established which must be offered by the
30     State.  These scholarships cover the cost of attendance as defined by the Commission on Higher Education by regulation up to a maximum
31     of two thousand dollars a year to eligible resident students attending Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredited
32     public or independent four-year colleges and universities in this State and four-year colleges and universities chartered before 1962 whose
33     main campus is located in this State, and to cover the cost of attendance up to a maximum of one thousand dollars a year to eligible resident
34     students attending SACS accredited public or independent two-year colleges or universities in this State and technical colleges.
35     Notwithstanding the above provisions of this section specifically excluded from those institutions eligible to receive LIFE scholarship funds


PART II PAGE 543 1 under the provisions of this chapter are colleges and universities whose primary purpose is religious or theological training and the granting 2 of professional degrees, for-profit institutions chartered after 1961, and institutions whose main campus is located out of this State. These 3 LIFE scholarships must be granted and awarded as provided in this chapter. 4 5 Section 59-149-20. (A) To be eligible for a LIFE scholarship, a student must be considered a resident of this State as provided in this 6 chapter. 7 (B) A student attending such a public or independent institution of this State and who is seeking a LIFE scholarship as a freshman 8 meets the residency requirements of this chapter if he meets the requirements of Section 59-149-50(A) in regard to high school or home 9 school graduation requirements and is classified as a resident of South Carolina for in-state tuition purposes under Chapter 112 of this title 10 at the time of enrollment at the institution. 11 (C) Students receiving a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship are not eligible for a LIFE Scholarship under this chapter. 12 13 Section 59-149-30. Full-time enrollment as defined in Title IV of the Federal Higher Education Act is a requirement for eligibility. 14 The student must be admitted, enrolled, and classified as a degree-seeking undergraduate student. 15 16 Section 59-149-40. These LIFE scholarships in combination with all other grants and scholarships shall not exceed the cost of 17 attendance at the particular institutions referenced in Section 59-149-10. 18 19 Section 59-149-50. (A) To be eligible for a LIFE scholarship for the freshman year, a student must be either a member of a class 20 graduating from a high school located in this State on or after May, 1997, a home school student who has successfully completed a high 21 school home school program in this State in the manner required by law on or after May, 1997, or a student graduating from a preparatory 22 high school outside this State on or after May, 1997, while a dependent of a parent or guardian who is a legal resident of this State and 23 has custody of the dependent. In addition, the student must have graduated from high school with a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade 24 average on a 4.0 scale, and have scored 1000 or better on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or have the equivalent ACT score beginning 25 with school year 1998-99, 1050 or better beginning with school year 2000-2001, and 1100 or better beginning with school year 2002-2003; 26 provided that if the student is to attend such a public or independent two-year college or university in this State, including a technical 27 college, the SAT requirement does not apply. If a student chooses to attend such a four-year public or independent institution of this State 28 and does not make the required SAT score, the student may earn a LIFE scholarship after his freshman year if he meets the grade point 29 average and semester credit hour requirements of subsection (B). 30 (B) To be eligible for a LIFE scholarship after the student's freshman year, the student must have graduated from high school and meet 31 the requirements of subsection (A) except for the SAT requirement. In addition, the student must earn a 3.0 cumulative grade point average 32 on a 4.0 scale each year and earn at least thirty credit hours each year for the maximum of semesters permitted at that institution by Section 33 59-149-60. 34 (C) Students who were LIFE scholarship recipients seeking a degree at such a public or independent institution of this State during 35 their freshman year who failed to earn a cumulative 3.0 at the end of the term they attempted at least thirty hours may regain eligibility
PART II PAGE 544 1 if their cumulative grade average is a 3.0 at the end of the term they have attempted at least sixty hours if they are a sophomore or ninety 2 hours if they are a junior. 3 (D) By the year 2000, students graduating from high school to be eligible for a LIFE scholarship must have passed all courses required 4 for a STAR diploma. 5 6 Section 59-149-55. Notwithstanding the requirements under this chapter for a LIFE Scholarship, in the case of a student enrolled in 7 the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind or the Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School whose handicap impacts on his ability to 8 meet the requirements of this chapter, the student may forward an application for a LIFE Scholarship to the Commission on Higher 9 Education. The commission shall review the application, degree of handicap, and special circumstances of the applicant. After a review, 10 the commission may waive those requirements presenting a hardship to the handicapped student and order the award of a LIFE 11 Scholarship. 12 13 Section 59-149-60. The student may receive a LIFE scholarship for not more than ten semesters for a five-year degree program, eight 14 semesters for a four-year degree program, or four semesters for a two-year degree program. In addition, students in order to be eligible 15 for these scholarships must enroll in such an accredited institution within two years of graduating from high school. 16 17 Section 59-149-70. The student must not be in default on a Federal Title IV or State of South Carolina educational loan, nor owe a 18 refund on a Federal Title IV or State of South Carolina student financial aid program. If the student has repaid the defaulted loan or refund 19 in full, he is eligible to obtain a LIFE scholarship in the future. 20 21 Section 59-149-80. Students transferring from one eligible public or independent institution of this State to another are eligible for 22 a LIFE scholarship, if they continue to meet all eligibility requirements. 23 24 Section 59-149-90. (A) Students must not have been adjudicated delinquent or been convicted or pled guilty or nolo contendere to 25 any felonies or any alcohol or drug-related offenses under the laws of this or any other state or under the laws of the United States in order 26 to be eligible for a LIFE scholarship. 27 (B) Regardless of the number of hours attempted, once the student has earned a bachelor's degree, he is ineligible for a LIFE 28 scholarship to seek another degree. 29 (C) All students who earn a LIFE scholarship under this chapter or the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship shall be recognized at graduation 30 from high school with a certificate issued by the Department of Education. 31 32 Section 59-149-100. Students enrolled in an eligible South Carolina institution qualify for a LIFE scholarship, even though they may 33 not be physically present in South Carolina during all or part of the school term for which the LIFE scholarship applies. The student's 34 institution must approve for credit a study-abroad or out-of-state program. Summer school may be substituted for one fall or spring 35 semester in any year in a planned program of study.
PART II PAGE 545 1 Section 59-149-110. (A) Any credit hours attempted or earned before high school graduation, hours exempted by examination, or 2 advanced placement credit hours do not count against the semester limits as provided in Section 59-149-60. 3 (B) No LIFE scholarship funds may be applied to the costs of continuing education or remedial courses. 4 5 Section 59-149-120. Any funds appropriated by the General Assembly to the Commission on Higher Education or any other agency, 6 department, or institution to provide funding for these LIFE scholarships may be carried forward from fiscal year to fiscal year. 7 8 Section 59-149-130. The commission shall promulgate regulations and establish procedures to administer the provisions of this 9 chapter. In addition, the commission must ensure accountability for the scholarship by monitoring the distribution of grades at the 10 institutions which receive these scholarship funds." 11 12 Section 59-149-140. All institutions participating in the LIFE Scholarship Program must report their enrollment and other relevant 13 data as solicited by the Commission on Higher Education which may audit these institutions to ensure compliance with this provision. 14 15 B. This section takes effect July 1, 1998. 16