USC Sumter initiative focuses on scholar program

After sending out a record number of letters this fall to high school seniors who qualify for a free, two-year tuition program at the school and setting an all-time high attend the annual award event Tuesday, the University of South Carolina Sumter hopes to grow its USC Sumter Scholars program.

The college's initiative for at least the last 10 years has offered free tuition and fees for the first two years of college to high school seniors in the top 15 percent of their graduating class in Sumter, Clarendon, Lee and Kershaw counties. Beginning last year, the college expanded the high school honors program to include students in Richland and Lexington counties.

With about 300 high school seniors and parents in attendance Tuesday at the annual USC Sumter Scholars Award Ceremony from the six counties, the college hopes the event will springboard to even more graduating high school seniors accepting the college's two-year, tuition-free offer.

According to Keith Britton, the college's director of admissions services, this fall, the college sent 1,100 letters to seniors in the six counties who qualify for the free tuition program -- its largest total ever. To qualify, high school seniors have generally maintained at least a 3.0 GPA in a college preparatory diploma program.

Tuesday night's scholars ceremony provided more information on the program at USC Sumter that's available to the qualifying high school seniors as they weigh their choice of colleges. All students who participated also received a certificate for being a USC Sumter Scholar and a small gift from the university.

According to Britton, it was also the earliest in the academic year that USC Sumter has hosted the scholars ceremony and probably the best time as well.

"We wanted to reach the students and their parents earlier in the college decision-making process to help grow the program," Britton said. "Late November is probably the best time. We may stick with it."

Some high school seniors officially signed on and committed to attend USC Sumter as a full-time freshman for 2017-'18 at Tuesday's event. The deadline to accept is March 17, 2017.

Britton explained the scholars program serves as basically a "tuition-waiver" for freshmen and sophomores at the school. After applying the $2,500 LIFE Scholarship per semester, the scholars program waives the remainder of full-time, in-state tuition and a technology fee for students -- a value of a little more than $1,000 just for the fall 2017 semester. The program covers everything except the cost of textbooks.

When students complete their first two years and 60 credit hours at USC Sumter, they can earn their associate degree from the school and then matriculate to a four-year campus to finish off their bachelor's degree. They can also stay at USC Sumter for one of its three stand-alone, traditional classroom bachelor-degree programs in business management, elementary education or early childhood education or continue on locally through one of its 14 online Palmetto College degree programs.