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Claflin University · South Carolina

Claflin Merit Aid

Claflin's headline merit is test-score-driven and routes through its Honors College: hit 1100 SAT / 24 ACT for an Honors scholarship worth $2,000 up to full tuition-room-board, or 1200 SAT / 27 ACT to compete for a Presidential Scholarship covering full tuition, room, board, textbooks and a monthly stipend.

Verified Jun 20268 days ago· CC
Merit tiers5See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst CC

Rules that bite at Claflin

The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Claflin's own published policy, not generic advice.

  • renewalPalmetto Fellows Scholarship (South Carolina state award): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Renewable for a maximum of eight full-time terms. College renewal GPA not stated on Claflin's page — set by the SC Commission on Higher Education. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

Common merit-aid mistakes at Claflin

  1. The test scores are the MINIMUM to be CONSIDERED. The Presidential Scholars Program is competitive ('a limited number of freshmen each year'), selected on leadership, service, essays/materials, and possibly an interview — hitting the score does not guarantee an award.

  2. Honors College scholarships range from $2,000 all the way to full tuition-room-board. Claflin does not publish a GPA/score grid mapping a given score to a specific dollar amount, so the $2,000 floor is the only guaranteed-published figure for those who qualify.

  3. Both the Presidential and Honors scholarships require the applicant to 'indicate on the application form a desire to be considered for admission into the Honors College and this scholarship.' Skip that box and you can be screened out of Claflin's two biggest merit awards.

  4. LIFE, HOPE and Palmetto Fellows are SC state awards administered by the Commission on Higher Education and limited to SC residents. Out-of-state students cannot get them, and their dollar amounts and GPA rules are set by the state, not Claflin.

  5. Claflin's 2025-26 brochure shows on-campus (boarding) cost of roughly $29,182/year (tuition $17,300 + room, board and fees), versus about $19,073 for non-boarding/commuter students. Tuition alone (~$17,300) understates the on-campus bill by over $11,000.

Who this school is for

South Carolina HBCU applicants with strong test scores (1100+ SAT / 24+ ACT) who flag the Honors College on their application; SC residents who can also layer state LIFE/HOPE/Palmetto Fellows awards on top of institutional aid.

Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $29,182 for 2025-2026. Source

Institutional merit aid tiers

Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.

Full cost of tuition…Full cost of tuition, room, board, textbooks and a monthly stipend

Claflin Presidential Scholars Program

ApplicationRenewable
SAT
1200
ACT
27
Requirements & details
Eligibility

Must score at least 1200 SAT (or 27 ACT); plan to pursue graduate/professional study; indicate desire for the Honors College and this scholarship on the application and submit supporting materials. An interview may be requested. Selected on academic achievement, leadership, extracurriculars, community service and character.

Renewal terms

Described as a 'four-year scholarship.' No college renewal GPA is published on the page; ask the financial aid office.

Notes

NOT automatic — competitive ('a limited number of freshmen may receive Presidential Scholarships each year'). The 1200 SAT / 27 ACT is the minimum to be considered, not a guarantee. The award covers a full ride PLUS textbooks and a monthly stipend, making it the richest Claflin award. Amount is a coverage description, not a published dollar figure.

Source

$2,000 to the full cost of tuition…$2,000 to the full cost of tuition, room and board

Claflin Honors College Scholarships (Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College)

ApplicationRenewable
SAT
1100
ACT
24
Requirements & details
Eligibility

Must score at least 1100 SAT (or 24 ACT); indicate desire for the Honors College and one of these scholarships on the application. An interview may be requested. Selected on academic achievement, leadership, extracurriculars, community service and character.

Renewal terms

Described as 'four-year scholarships.' No college renewal GPA is published on the page; ask the financial aid office.

Notes

NOT automatic — 'competitive scholarships ... awarded annually to select incoming freshmen.' The 1100 SAT / 24 ACT is the threshold to be considered, not a guaranteed award. Value is a wide range; only the $2,000 floor and a 'full cost of tuition, room and board' ceiling are published, with no published GPA/score grid mapping a score to a specific dollar amount.

Source

Up to $6,700 freshman year…Up to $6,700 freshman year; up to $7,500 sophomore-senior years

Palmetto Fellows Scholarship (South Carolina state award)

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

STATE AWARD for SC residents, administered by the SC Commission on Higher Education (CHE), not by Claflin. Eligibility criteria (high school GPA/class rank/SAT or ACT) are set by the state and are not detailed on Claflin's page. Early-award applications due to CHE by a date established in December each academic year.

Renewal terms

Renewable for a maximum of eight full-time terms. College renewal GPA not stated on Claflin's page — set by the SC Commission on Higher Education.

Notes

Not a Claflin institutional award — it is a South Carolina state scholarship a resident brings to Claflin. Claflin lists it among aid sources. Amounts are state-set.

Source

Up to $5,000 per academic year…Up to $5,000 per academic year (including a $300 book allowance)

LIFE Scholarship (South Carolina state award)

ApplicationRenewable
GPA
3.0
SAT
1100
ACT
24
Requirements & details
Eligibility

STATE AWARD for SC residents. Must meet TWO of three criteria: at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA on the S.C. Uniform Grading Policy at HS graduation; rank in the top 30% of the graduating class; and/or score at least 1100 SAT or 24 ACT through June of senior year.

Renewal terms

Awarded for up to eight consecutive terms. College renewal GPA not stated on Claflin's page — set by the SC Commission on Higher Education.

Notes

Not a Claflin institutional award — South Carolina state scholarship. The 3.0 GPA / top-30% / 1100 SAT-24 ACT criteria are entrance criteria set by the state (meet two of three), not Claflin merit cutoffs.

Source

Up to $2,800 per year…Up to $2,800 per year (including a $300 book allowance)

S.C. HOPE Scholarship (South Carolina state award)

Application
GPA
3.0
Requirements & details
Eligibility

STATE AWARD for SC residents. First-time freshmen only; must earn a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA on the S.C. Uniform Grading Policy at high school graduation.

Notes

Not a Claflin institutional award — South Carolina state scholarship for first-time freshmen who miss LIFE/Palmetto Fellows. One year only.

Source

Lesser-known scholarships at Claflin

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.

AmountVaries (need-based, SC residents at independent colleges)EligibilitySouth Carolina residents; need-based; requires FAFSA.

Need-based state grant, not merit. Deadline: complete and submit the FAFSA by August 1st of each academic year.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityPer the CUIAA application; considers academic background and SAT.

External alumni-association award; the deadline shown on the page ('Friday, July 22, 2022') is stale and needs re-confirmation.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityExternal programs (Rhodes, Truman, Fulbright, Goldwater, Boren, Udall, Marshall, ESB Luard Morse) listed as opportunities, not Claflin awards.

These are national/external scholarships Claflin points students toward; not institutional merit aid.

Source

Claflin merit aid FAQ

  • Is any Claflin merit scholarship automatic based on my test score?

    No. The 1100 SAT/24 ACT (Honors) and 1200 SAT/27 ACT (Presidential) are minimum thresholds to be CONSIDERED for competitive, committee-selected awards — they are not automatic. South Carolina's LIFE, HOPE and Palmetto Fellows awards have their own state-set criteria.

  • How big are Claflin's scholarships?

    The Honors College scholarships range from $2,000 up to the full cost of tuition, room and board. The Presidential Scholars Program covers the full cost of tuition, room, board, textbooks AND a monthly stipend for four years. Specific per-student amounts are not published.

  • What's the deadline?

    Claflin's page does not publish a deadline for the Presidential or Honors College scholarships — apply early and ask admissions. State awards have separate timelines (Palmetto Fellows early awards due to the SC Commission on Higher Education by a date set in December; S.C. Tuition Grant requires the FAFSA by August 1).

  • What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?

    Claflin's scholarships page does not state a college GPA you must maintain to renew the Presidential or Honors awards (it only calls them 'four-year scholarships'). Confirm the renewal GPA directly with the Office of Financial Aid before enrolling.

How Claflin compares across our verified dataset

  • 669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Claflin is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Claflin’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

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