Welcome to the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education's resource page for high school counselors! Our goal is to enhance college access by providing resources to support our counselors as they help students on their higher education journey. As a partner for counselors across the state, the CHE Office of Student Affairs is committed to supporting your efforts in shaping the academic and personal growth of students as they pursue their higher education dreams. 

2025–26 FAFSA Beta now available to all

The U.S. Department announced on Nov. 18 that the New FAFSA has entered Expanded Beta 4, which makes the new form available to all students and families to fill out and submit. Consistent with widespread software best practices, the FAFSA form will remain in beta while the department monitors its performance under the increased test load. Students who submit a FAFSA form during any beta period will be able to make any needed corrections to the form and will not need to submit a subsequent 2025–26 FAFSA form.

Additional information is available in a Nov. 14 press release from the U.S. Department of Education.

Related Content from the National College Attainment Network: 2025-26 FAFSA Page: A How-To Guide

Palmetto Fellows, LIFE scholarships enhancements expanded to education, accounting majors

Aspiring education and accounting majors will have the potential for additional financial aid thanks to the enactment of Act 156, which offers scholarship enhancements for eligible college sophomore, junior, and senior Palmetto Fellows and LIFE recipients who are education and accounting majors enrolled in approved programs at eligible four-year institutions. Students in these programs may be eligible to receive an additional scholarship enhancement of up to $2,500 starting Fall 2024. Additional information is available on our Scholarships and Grants Page and in the documents below:

• Act 156 Enhancements Guidance for Education and Accounting Majors (PDF)
  • Education programs eligible for scholarship enhancements (PDF)
  • Emergency LIFE Scholarship regulations (PDF)
  • Emergency Palmetto Fellows Scholarship regulations (PDF)

Featured Videos:

SC CAN GO College Access Events and Campaigns

SC CAN GO, facilitated by the CHE Student Affairs Office, is a campaign designed to promote a college-going culture for students in our state, and also raise needed college access awareness. Each year, SC CAN GO facilitates access-related events such as College Application Month in the fall, College Goal SC (FAFSA completion) in the winter and spring, and College and Career Decision Day each May.

Visit the SC CAN GO web page to learn more and to sign up for events.

Memos

• CHE Memo - ACT Concordance (PDF)
• CHE Memo - Final 12th Grade Ranking Reports Memo (PDF)
• CHE College Preparatory Course Prerequisite Requirements for Entering College Freshmen (PDF)
• SC DOE Memo - Transcripts for SC State Scholarships (PDF)
• CHE Memo to Financial Aid Directors - Final Transcripts (PDF)

New FAFSA

• CHE New FAFSA Toolkit web page for students and families
• New FAFSA Explained Series (YouTube)
  • Student FSA ID Worksheet 
  • Parent FSA ID Worsksheet
• CHE New FAFSA Prep Flyer (PDF)
• NCAN Better FAFSA Toolkit
• Discussing FAFSA With Your Students (PDF)
• CHE FAFSA Simplification Fact Sheet
• FAFSA Application Video Series

Guides

• Paying for College
• Class Rank for Scholarships Regulatory Guides (PDF)
• CHE Transfer Student Success Guide (Reminder: Dual enrollment and AP courses are technically transfer credits!)

State Scholarship Information and Resources

Note: General information on state scholarships and grants is located on our Scholarships and Grants Page

• Palmetto Fellows 24-25 Application Timeline
• 2025 Palmetto Fellows Student Info Packet (PDF)
• Class Rank Reports Process (PDF)
• Scholarship Regulations
• State-Funded Scholarships and Grants Printable Flyer (PDF)
• NEW UPDATES FOR FALL 2024: Act 156 Enhancements Guidance for Education and Accounting Majors (PDF)
  • Education programs eligible for scholarship enhancements (PDF)
  • Emergency LIFE Scholarship regulations (PDF)
  • Emergency Palmetto Fellows Scholarship regulations (PDF)

Value of Higher Education: SC College Graduate Earning Trends

• Visit our Post Secondary Employment Outcomes Explorer which shows the one, five and ten-year earning trends of South Carolina graduates by institution and program.

Academic Common Market: In-State Tuition For Out-Of-State Programs Not Available In SC

The Academic Common Market allows South Carolina residents who are enrolled in specific programs at out-of-state institutions to be charged only the applicable in-state tuition by the institution in which the student is enrolled. Eligible programs must be at least 50 percent different in curricular content than programs offered in South Carolina. Participating states are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia (Florida and Texas participate only at the graduate level.)

For additional information, visit our Academic Common Market page.

College Process Ambassador Program

Visit the CHE College Process Ambassador Page to see current Ambassadors and learn about the application process.