South Carolina H 3327: Educational lottery scholarship grants

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3327 Text of Previous Version (Feb. 05, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3327

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 59-150-380, RELATING TO THE EDUCATIONAL LOTTERY TEACHING SCHOLARSHIP 
GRANTS PROGRAM, SO AS TO REVISE THE PURPOSES AND FUNDING OF THE PROGRAM TO 
INCLUDE SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS FOR TEACHERS TO OBTAIN A MASTER'S DEGREE IN 
THEIR CONTENT AREA, FULL SCHOLARSHIPS TO UNDERGRADUATES WHO CHOOSE TO MAJOR IN 
EDUCATION, AND GRANTS TO TEACHERS AND CERTIFIED PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS TO REPAY 
STUDENT LOANS, AND TO ESTABLISH THE TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND PROCEDURES FOR THESE 
GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS; BY ADDING SECTION 59-149-170 SO AS TO PROVIDE 
THAT A STUDENT IS NOT QUALIFIED FOR A LIFE SCHOLARSHIP UNTIL AFTER THE 
COMPLETION OF HIS FRESHMAN YEAR; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 59-150-370, RELATING 
TO THE HOPE SCHOLARSHIP, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A STUDENT IS NOT QUALIFIED FOR 
THE HOPE SCHOLARSHIP UNTIL AFTER THE COMPLETION OF HIS FRESHMAN YEAR.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. The General 
Assembly finds that:

 (A) only 24.6 
percent of HOPE scholarship recipients retain their scholarships after the 
first year;

 (B) only 22.2 
percent of LIFE scholarship recipients attending technical schools retain their 
scholarships after the first year;

 (C) only 51.4 
percent of LIFE scholarship recipients at a four-year institution retain their 
scholarships after the first year;

 (D) only 86.7 
percent of the remaining recipients retain their scholarships after the second 
year; and

 (E) the four-year 
graduation rate at our public institutions of higher learning in South Carolina 
is 41.7 percent.

 For these reasons 
and in order to allocate scarce funding resources in the most effective manner 
possible, and to improve the results reflected above through having the best 
teachers possible, the General Assembly therefore has determined to enact the 
provisions of this act.

SECTION 2. Section 59-150-380 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
59-150-380. (A)(1) The Commission on Higher Education, in consultation 
with the State Department of Education, must develop an Education Lottery 
Teaching Scholarship Grants Program to provide certified teachers in the public 
schools of this State grants not to exceed one thousand 
dollars per year the full cost of tuition and 
attendance to attend public or private colleges and universities for the 
purposes of upgrading existing content area skills or 
obtaining a Master's Degree 
master's degree in the teacher's content area. If 
there are insufficient funds in the Education Lottery Account to provide the 
grant to each eligible recipient for a particular year, priority must be given 
to those teachers whose subject areas are critical subject needs as determined 
by the State Department of Education.

 (2) For purposes of this subsection, 
the Commission on Higher Education shall develop and publish on its website a 
list of master's degree programs and institutions which offer these programs 
for teachers to attend and enroll in when applying for these grants. If a 
teacher desires to enroll in a master's degree program or attend an institution 
not on the list developed by the commission, the teacher may make application 
to the commission for approval of that master's program or institution in order 
to receive these grants.

 (B) In addition to the provisions of 
subsection (A), undergraduates or high school seniors enrolled in or accepted 
into a public or private college or university whose major is or will be 
education may be provided scholarships by the commission in the same manner 
provided in subsection (A) for teachers equal to the full cost of tuition and 
attendance to obtain a baccalaureate degree in education. These grants and 
scholarships to students must be for one academic year and are renewable for 
additional academic years not to exceed three if the student is making 
satisfactory progress toward obtaining the desired degree each year based on 
the criteria established by the commission for this purpose. As a condition for 
receiving a grant or scholarship under this subsection, a teacher or student by 
contract with the commission must agree to teach or continue to teach in the 
public or independent schools of this State for that number of years equal to 
the number of years the grants or scholarships were received. Failure to 
achieve the desired degree obligates the student to repay all funds received, 
together with interest at the average prime lending rate of the three largest 
banks in South Carolina by deposits over such period of time as determined by 
the commission after considering the student's financial c