The SC Commission on Higher Education (CHE) has authorized the availability of LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarships for Summer 2024, for those students who will be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours) at Winthrop and who met the renewal criteria for their state scholarship at the end of Spring 2024.
The following frequently asked questions (FAQ) will help you learn more about this option and determine if using a term of your state scholarship eligibility is the right decision for you. If you still have questions after reading the FAQ, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.
Who is eligible? 
Any student who meets their state scholarship renewal eligibility at the end of the
Spring 2024 term may use a semester of their state scholarship terms in Summer 2024,
as long as they are enrolled at least full-time (12 or more credit hours) at Winthrop for Summer 2024 and have not already used up their 8 terms of scholarship
eligibility. The Office of Financial Aid will review your eligibility for renewal
after Spring 2024 grades are made official by the Office of Records and Registration
(mid-May).
Is summer an extra term of eligibility in addition to my 8 terms? NO! Participating in summer will not extend the 8 total semesters of potential scholarship
eligibility. Participating in summer will count as using a term of your 8 terms of
eligibility.
Can all state scholarships be used in summer? LIFE, Palmetto Fellows and Enhancement Scholarships can be used, for those who are
eligible and enrolled at least full-time (12 or more credit hours) at Winthrop for Summer 2024. HOPE cannot be used in summer.
What amount will I receive? LIFE eligible students will receive $2500. Palmetto Fellows eligible students will
receive $3750. Enhancement eligible students will receive $1250.
Do I have to participate in summer state scholarships? No! Participation is voluntary.
Who should use the scholarship? We recommend that only students who plan to graduate in less than four years consider
using the state scholarship in Summer 2024.
Students who plan to attend Winthrop for four years may want to save their terms of scholarship eligibility for fall and spring terms, when costs are generally higher.
If you rely on the summer to earn money for the upcoming academic year, you may find it difficult to also take a full-time course load and be academically successful.
Do all 12 credit hours have to be in one summer term? No, you can be enrolled in multiple summer terms as long as you are enrolled in at
least 12 credit hours total for the entire summer term and taking all those hours
at Winthrop.
What if my class gets canceled in one of the summer sessions or I drop a class before
it begins and I'm no longer enrolled in a total of at least 12 hours? You will not be eligible to receive a state scholarship for summer and any previously
disbursed funds will be have to be canceled and sent back to the state. When your
state scholarship is canceled, you will be required to pay back any state scholarship
funds you have received for summer and the summer will no longer count as one of your
eight terms of eligibility.
How do I apply? Complete the Year-Round Scholarship Affidavit by e-mailing finaid@winthrop.edu to request it.
Can I use my Enhancement Scholarship? Yes, if you are in an eligible, declared major and have met the 14 credit hour requirement
prior to the first day of your first registered summer term. Note, you must also use
a term of your LIFE or Palmetto Fellows scholarship in the summer in order to use
the Enhancement scholarship. You cannot chose to use your LIFE or Palmetto Fellows
scholarship and "save" your Enhancement scholarship for another term.
Can I use the summer to earn my Enhancement Scholarship even if I use my LIFE/Palmetto
Fellows this summer? Yes, you can still use the summer to earn the Enhancement scholarship. If you earn
it by the end of summer, you would have five terms of enhancement eligibility to use
in the future semesters.
Will my renewal criteria be different if I attend summer? No, attending summer does not change the total number of earned hours required for
state scholarship renewal.
If I attend and use my state scholarship this summer do I have to attend summer school
next year? No! Participation in the Summer 2024 state scholarship program does not constitute
commitment for the following summer.
Will I graduate in 3 years? Participation in summer does not guarantee accelerated graduation, but provides the
opportunity for early graduation.
Does my program/major allow for graduation in less than 4 years? You should check with your academic advisor to see if early graduation is an option
for you. Some programs are structured so that four years of traditional fall and spring
classes are needed in order to meet degree requirements.
Am I guaranteed to find at least 12 credit hours to take during the summer that will
count towards my degree requirements? NO! You should check with your academic advisor to determine what course options
(if any) are available for you that will apply to your degree. Only classes that count
towards your degree can be used to determine that you are enrolled full-time.
If I attend full-time (at least 12 hours) in summer, do I have to use my state scholarship? No! Participation is voluntary.
Can I take classes at another institution this summer and receive my state scholarship? NO! You must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 hours) at Winthrop to participate.
Is housing or are meal plans or books covered? No, your state scholarship is applied directly towards your Winthrop tuition charges.
Can I take online classes at Winthrop this summer to count towards full-time enrollment? Any classes offered by Winthrop (on campus or online) can be counted.
What if my GPA drops below a 3.000 at the end of summer? You will remain eligible for your state scholarship for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025
as long as you are enrolled full-time each term. You will have the opportunity to
bring your GPA back up to a 3.000 by the end of the following Spring 2025 term.
May I use loans this summer? If you have remaining loan eligibility from the previous academic year, you may use
any remaining loan funds in summer. Your Parent may be able to borrow from the PLUS
Loan program. You may wish to borrow a private loan. If you are interested in loans,
you must indicate on your Summer School Financial Aid Application that you wish to borrow for summer.
May I use my Pell Grant? Yes, Pell Grants may be awarded for summer if you have not used up your Pell lifetime
eligibility. If you are eligible for a Pell Grant, it will appear as part of your
summer awards.
If I am not eligible to renew my state scholarship after Spring 2024, am I still able
to use the summer term to try and regain eligibility? Yes, but you may not use LIFE or Palmetto Fellows or Enhancement scholarship funding in the summer term
while trying to regain eligibility.
