South Carolina Commission on Higher Education

State Scholarship Appeals

If an extenuating circumstance prevents a student from meeting academic requirements (cumulative grade point average and/or credit hours) for regaining or renewing a State Scholarship, the student may file an appeal with the SC Commission on Higher Education.

An extenuating circumstance includes:

Serious Health Condition of the Student

A serious health condition shall be defined as an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves:(1) any period of incapacity or treatment in connection with or consequent to inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility; or (2) any period of incapacity requiring absence from classes for more than five consecutive class days that also involves continuing treatment by (or under the supervision of) a health care provider; or (3) continuing treatment by (or under the supervision of) a health care provider for a chronic or long-term health condition that is incurable or so serious that, if not treated, would likely result in a period of incapacity that would adversely affect the academic performance of the student

Death or Serious Health Condition of an immediate family member

An immediate family member shall be defined as the spouse, great-grandparents, grandparents, parents or legal guardians, brothers, sisters (including step-brothers/sisters), or children of either the student or the student’s spouse.

Traumatic or Extraordinary Event

A traumatic/extraordinary event shall be defined as a sudden, uncontrollable event which adversely affects the student’s academic performance, such as a natural disaster (earthquake, hurricane, tornado, etc.), divorce, sexual assault, required missionary duty, active military duty, death of a significant nonimmediate family member, or any other events deemed traumatic/extraordinary by the Commission.

Students who fail to meet the initial eligibility criteria or who were never eligible to receive the SC HOPE, LIFE, or Palmetto Fellows Scholarship are not eligible to submit an appeal.

A traumatic event DOES NOT include: College adjustment issues, homesickness, problems with roommates, problems with the faculty or staff at the college or university, difficult course-load, misunderstanding of scholarship requirements, misadvisement by financial aid officers or advisors, problems following institutional policies/procedures, problems completing the proper institutional paperwork/forms, dependent care issues, transportation problems, financial issues, exceptions to scholarship regulation (initial eligibility, transfer issues, exceeding terms of eligibility), sport schedule conflicts, not getting into your program of study, changing majors... etc. This is not an exhaustive list. Other issues may be deemed as inappropriate for appeal.

For more detailed information regarding the Scholarship Appeal Process, please view the Scholarship Appeal Guidelines by clicking the button below.

Scholarship Appeal Guidelines

Spring Application Period

Eligibility: Students enrolled for the Spring term only
Application Window: Application opens on September 14, 2026, and closes on February 12, 2027.
Decision Process: Spring applications will be reviewed during the Spring semester. Decisions are made on a first-come, first-served basis upon application completion. All complete applications submitted during the Spring application period will receive a decision no later than April 2.