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TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-59-215 SO AS TO MAKE DUAL ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BEGINNING WITH THE 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR, TO PROVIDE CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS THAT STUDENTS IN GRADES TEN THROUGH TWELVE MUST SATISFY TO TAKE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES, TO MAKE LOTTERY TUITION ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO SUCH STUDENTS FOR DUAL ENROLLMENT CREDITS, AND TO PROVIDE THIS ASSISTANCE DOES NOT REQUIRE STUDENTS TO TAKE ANY MINIMUM NUMBER OF DUAL ENROLLMENT CREDITS; AND TO AMEND SECTION 59-104-20, RELATING TO ELIGIBILITY FOR PALMETTO FELLOWS SCHOLARSHIPS, SO AS TO INCLUDE TWO-YEAR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES AMONG INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING WHOSE STUDENTS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE SCHOLARSHIPS.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Chapter 59, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 59-59-215. (A) Articulation agreements between school districts and institutions of higher learning to provide dual enrollment college courses offered to high school students must make such dual enrollment opportunities available to all students in grades ten, eleven, and twelve beginning with the 2021-2022 School Year; provided:
(1) for course sections in four-year institutions and two-year regional campuses of the University of South Carolina, a student must have at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 grading scale and the recommendation of his principal or a designee of the principal; and
(2) for course sections in technical colleges, a student must meet the same requirements for particular courses as other students who attend the colleges and must have the recommendation of the principal of his high school, the designee of the principal, or the designee of the governing school association.
(B) The Lottery Tuition Assistance Program must be available to dual enrollment students:
(1) in grades ten, eleven, and twelve; and
(2) for any number of dual enrollment credits that a student seeks to take at eligible institutions. No minimum number of dual enrollment credits may be required for a dual enrollment student to receive lottery tuition assistance."
SECTION 2. Section 59-104-20(E), (F), and (H) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(E) A Palmetto Fellows Scholarship is available to an eligible resident student who attends or will attend an eligible four-year public or independent institution.
(F) For purposes of subsection (E):
(1) 'Public or independent Institution' means a:
(a) South Carolina public institution defined in Section 59-103-5, excluding a public two-year or technical institution, and an independent institution as defined in Section 59-113-50, excluding an eleemosynary junior or independent two-year institution; or
(b) public or independent bachelor's level institution chartered before 1962 whose major campus and headquarters are located within South Carolina.
(2) 'Resident student' means a:
(a) student who is either a member of a class graduating from a high school located in this State, a home school student who has successfully completed a high school home school program in this State in the manner required by law, or a student graduating from a preparatory high school outside this State, while a dependent of a parent or guardian who is a legal resident of this State and has custody of the dependent; and
(b) student classified as a resident of South Carolina for in-state tuition purposes under Chapter 112 of this title at the time of enrollment at the institution.
(H) Notwithstanding another provision of law, a student who met the initial eligibility requirements to receive a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Award as a senior in high school and has met the continuing eligibility requirements shall receive the award. A student who received a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Award as a senior in high school but declined the award is eligible to reapply for the annual scholarship, providing he meets all of the initial and continuing academic eligibility requirements of the Palmetto Fellows program, if he transfers to a qualifying South Carolina institution of higher learning. The number of semesters or academic years a student attended an out-of-state institution are to be deducted from the number of semesters or academic years a student is eligible for the scholarship. All funding provided for Palmetto Fellows Scholarships regardless of its source or allocation must be used to implement the provisions of this subsection. A student who uses a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship to attend an eligible two-year institution shall receive a maximum of four continuous semesters, and may continue to use the scholarship to attend an eligible four-year institution, subject to maximum number of semesters for which the student may be eligible for the scholarship."
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
This web page was last updated on December 16, 2020 at 3:34 PM