Phase 2 FAQs

Phase 2 FAQs Working Document

General understanding of Phase 2 and relation to Phase 1:

• Phase 1 is fully funded and will continue as it does now – making the promise to all high school graduates that they can go to PTC (or other technical colleges) tuition free as long as they meet the requirements in place for eligibility. Using the endowment allows for Phase 1 to exist in perpetuity. This Promise is being made to those students from kindergarten to seniors; so this will be there for them when they graduate.
• Phase 2 is new and is a different version for the Greenwood Promise. It will cover the junior and senior year for students in a bachelor degree program. For now, with our first introduction of Phase 2, we will only be able to cover a limited number of majors in a few majors that are determined by the community to be essential, and somewhat difficult to find. Ultimately, when enough funding is available, this will cover all high school graduates from Greenwood County for any bachelor degree program; but for now, this will allow Phase 2 to begin.
• Eligibility for Phase 2 will still be determined by residency in Greenwood County just as Phase 1 is today, plus meet other basic requirements, and the student must have at least the Life or Palmetto Fellows Scholarship.
• The student does not have to go through Phase 1 at PTC to be eligible for Phase 2. The student must only meet the eligibility stated above. In theory, the student could gain enough credit hours while in high school to graduate from high school; while also being eligible as a junior in college. So, whether the student completes the first two years through Greenwood Promise at PTC, completes those two years at Lander or some other four year university, or gains junior class status through high school - they are eligible for Phase 2.

What majors will be funded in Step 1 of Phase 2?

A committee made up of investors in the Greenwood Promise and other knowledgeable leaders in the community have met to decide on the priority of the skills needed and the bachelor degree majors that correlate to those skills. We will use the top 5-6 majors in the initial offering and allocate up to 4-5 students/major as our first cohorts.

The list of specific majors eligible are:

What will be the process for choosing the 20-25 new students per year with total of 40 - 45 total students in identified majors?

• Any student that has eligibility left - Life Scholarship eligible, in good standing as a Junior in the specific major selected; will need to apply for the Greenwood Promise
• The student will need to submit an academic progress plan that compares the course requirements to actual courses taken and show a plan that will complete the requirements during their junior and senior year. In essence, the student will show that they are on course to complete the academic requirements for an eligible bachelor degree major within their junior and senior years.
• Students that successfully complete the documents required and are deemed to be eligible for The Greenwood Promise under the residency and other Greenwood Promise requirements will be listed by major.
• Each applicant must complete the FAFSA application to obtain an SAI score (Student Aid Index). The SAI indicator replaces the EFC (Expected Family Contribution) beginning with Fall Term 2023 to determine financial aid.
• The eligible students in each major with all the required documents will be listed in descending order of SAI score based on FAFSA application
• The first 4 students in each major category will be selected as recipients of the Greenwood Promise.
• Once a student is accepted for the Greenwood Promise as a Junior; they will automatically be selected as a senior - if they still meet all the same requirements as before.
• Below is the specific selection process

The FAFSA is an application for Federal funding based on income and ability to pay tuition. Since the EFC score will determine my selection for Greenwood Promise; will I need to receive a Pell Grant to be selected for Greenwood Promise?

• No, you do not need to receive a Pell Grant to be eligible.
• The reason that the SAI score is used, is to award based on financial need when all other factors are the same. The EFC score from FAFSA is an affordability indicator.

What year will Step 1 of Phase 2 start?

• Phase 2 of the Greenwood Promise will begin with the Fall Semester 2023

Do I automatically qualify for Phase 2 if I qualified for Phase 1?

• No, there will be a separate application process with specific criteria.
• Phase 1 and Phase 2 are both under the umbrella of The Greenwood Promise, but are different in the application process.

How many students will be funded in Step 1 of Phase 2?

• Initially 24 students will be selected as a junior and those will remain as seniors if they continue to be eligible. So, in the first two years, up to 48 students will receive tuition free funding as junior and senior students.
• The exact number of students each year depends on the funding available in the endowment. This is the estimate for now, the number will increase as the endowment grows. The Greenwood Promise will continue to seek investment from donors to grow the number of scholarships available.

How do I renew my eligibility for Phase 2 as a senior?

• Maintain the LIFE scholarship and be in good standing in a qualified bachelor degree program as a senior.
• Once selected as a junior, you will automatically be eligible as a senior as long as still meeting requirements

What does it mean to “be in good standing” as a junior and senior?

• The applicant must provide a document that shows they are on course to complete their course work required to graduate in their major as a junior and as a senior. This document will require approval and sign-off from the university where the student will be attending.

See a visual of the residency sliding scale in the Phase 2 FAQs and materials.Provide text examples of data shown in graphs. (Example: Different place-based and last-dollar scenarios). This graph shows an example with EFC scores and Pell Grant funding, only as an example.

Do you cover the room and board or course fees?

• The Greenwood Promise only covers the remaining amount for tuition and mandatory fees after considering state and federal scholarships and grants; so does not cover room & board nor specific course related fees.
• Any other private scholarships may be applied to cover other costs.

Can a student attend PTC under Greenwood Promise for the first two years - tuition free and then be eligible for Phase 2 at Lander University?

• Yes, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements.. Although the student does not need to attend PTC under Phase 1 to be eligible for Phase 2, it is a potential path to take for a tuition free bachelor degree. However, the student should plan for this path when they start taking classes at PTC and work with advisors at PTC and Lander from the beginning to ensure they take the correct classes that lead to a bachelor degree program.

For Phase 2, which college or university will a student be able to receive funding?

• If the major is offered at Lander, the student must attend Lander to be eligible. If the major is not offered at Lander, then the student can attend any other state-supported university in SC as long as they still meet all the requirements
• This means that if the student is currently enrolled at another university other than Lander and the major is offered at Lander - then the student would need to transfer to Lander for their junior and senior year to be eligible.

Will the eligible majors ever change?

• We will review the list of majors every 2-3 years with the Greenwood area industry and community leaders to determine if these are still the primary needs - will make changes if needed. But once a student is accepted as a junior in that major, the student will still maintain eligibility in that major as a senior.
• As the endowment grows, the number of students who will be covered with the Greenwood Promise will increase. The number of eligible majors will grow with this.
• It is anticipated that at some point the endowment will be sufficient to cover all eligible students in any bachelor degree program.

What is the deadline for Phase 2 applications?

• The following dates will apply for students who wish to receive financial assistance from Greenwood Promise for the following Fall Semester and beyond.
• Phase 2 applications will begin to be accepted January 1 with application deadline for March 15.
• The applicants will be notified of acceptance as Greenwood Promise students by April 1.

How long do students have to use Phase 2 of The Greenwood Promise?

• Phase 2 post-secondary education must be completed within 5 years of the date of high school graduation. Exceptions to this requirement are granted for military service.

How big does the Greenwood Promise endowment need to be to fully fund Phase 2 in perpetuity?

• It is estimated that the costs for Phase 2, to fund all students with at least a LIFE scholarship for any bachelor degree program, will be about $1.5 million per year. Therefore an endowment needs to be about $30 million to fund this program in perpetuity.
• The Greenwood Promise will continue to seek funding from all sources to build to this endowment so that all Greenwood County high school graduates have a tuition free path to a bachelor degree