Gamecock Guarantee helps low-income students

Jordan Addison knew she would attend college, but she wasn't sure she could do it without taking on a lot of student loan debt.

The University of South Carolina freshman is one of 125 first-year students who landed a scholarship from the university's Gamecock Guarantee program this year.

The program guarantees free tuition and fees for four years for South Carolina students from very low-income families who meet all of the university's entrance requirements. It also provides support services to students, many of whom are among the first generation in their families to attend college.

University leaders said they rolled out the program slowly, bringing in 86 students last fall and 125 this year, but they are ready to expand. And they are hoping to bring in more students from the Lowcountry and along the Interstate 95 corridor.

"It's wonderful. It's a great help to me and my family," said Addison, a Stratford High School graduate from Goose Creek.

The program doesn't require a separate application, said Scott Verzyl, USC's assistant vice provost for enrollment management. Students simply apply to the university, which has a priority application deadline of Dec. 1. They also must complete a federal financial aid application, he said.

Students who are accepted at the university and whose families meet the income criteria are awarded the scholarship, which ranges from a minimum of $2,500 per year to the full cost of tuition and fees.

Many students in the program receive other forms of financial aid, he said. If a student receives enough other aid to cover tuition and fees, the program will give the student $2,500 to apply toward other expenses, such as room and board.

The ultimate goal, Verzyl said, is to help low-income students graduate on time without debt.

Addison, a broadcast journalism major, said she received several other grants and scholarships, so for at least her first two years of college, she won't have to take out any student loans.

Verzyl said students are eligible for the program if their family income is below 150 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, the income limit is about $25,000, he said. The average family income for students enrolled in the program is about $18,000, he said.

The estimated annual cost of attending the university, which includes tuition, fees, room and board and some expenses, is $21,602, he said. The average student in the Gamecock Guarantee program receives $19,664 in financial aid, Verzyl said.

Students in the program, on average, count on loans for about 3 percent of their college expenses. Other students who complete the federal financial aid form, but who have family incomes greater than the program cut-off, count on loans for about 27 percent of their educational expenses, he said.