COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and the SC Commission on Higher Education (CHE) will call on the General Assembly to provide more need-based grants for postsecondary education students during a press conference Wednesday.
The press conference will be held at the University of South Carolina Alumni Center at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
South Carolina has a need-based grant program in place.
According to CHE, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a financial and psychological toll on students and their families. According to CHE, fall enrollment decreased by 13% among SC's higher education.
The expansion of need-based grants would help all South Carolinians have access to postsecondary education.
“The CHE is committed to increasing educational attainment by keeping college accessible and affordable for all South Carolinians,” said Dr. Rusty Monhollon, President and Executive Director of the CHE. “As more of the cost of higher education has been shifted to students and their families the importance of expanding need-based financial aid has never been greater. Need-based grants, as part of a well-designed set of financial aid policies, increase access, persistence, and completion among low-income students. As such, they are a tremendous investment in our young people, and one we as a state must make.”
These grants would ensure affordable higher education for South Carolinians thus creating a better workforce, according to CHE.
