The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education announced today that the College Goal SC 2022-23 spring campaign, an effort to help high school seniors across the state successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), began this week and will run through the end of March.

Seniors who complete the FAFSA are 84 percent more likely to immediately enroll in postsecondary education than those who do not, according to statistics from the National College Attainment Network. For students in the lowest socioeconomic quintile, FAFSA completion is associated with a 127 percent increase in immediate college enrollment.

In addition to unlocking federal aid, the FAFSA is also used to determine student eligibility for various state-funded financial aid programs at public four year and technical colleges, as well as independent institutions. These include South Carolina Tuition Grants, South Carolina Need-based Grants, South Carolina Lottery Tuition Assistance Grant, and South Carolina Workforce and Industry Needs Scholarships (WINS). 

The College Goal SC campaign aligns with the CHE’s Ascend 60x30 attainment strategy, which seeks to increase attainment of post-secondary higher education credentials in the state from 48 percent of the population today to at least 60 percent by 2030.

“Helping our students access financial aid goes hand-in-hand with achieving our goal to increase post-secondary enrollment and attainment, and our objective in 2023 is to increase South Carolina’s FAFSA completion rate by three percent,” said Dr. Gerrick Hampton, CHE Associate Director in the Office of Student Affairs. “We want our students to be comfortable navigating this process so that they are able to receive any and all financial aid that is available to them.”

In the College Goal SC program model, the CHE recruits higher education professionals to help support sites hosting College Goal SC events.

Hampton added that the CHE is fortunate to continue successful partnerships this season with the South Carolina Technical Colleges, South Carolina TRiO programs, Midlands Technical College TRiO and Upward Bound, and the South Carolina Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators (SCASFAA) membership to support events.

“These talented groups are always willing to lend their expertise to College Goal SC events,” he said.

Schools and community locations interested in hosting a College Goal SC event can register at the SCCANGO website College Goal SC Registration Section.   

The link to register, as well as hosting materials, are available on the website. A listing of current College Goal SC events is also available.

(South Carolina Commission on Higher Education Press Release)