South Carolina liberal arts college with a publicly-named top scholarship — the Hollingsworth at $36,000/year — restricted to SC residents, plus a broad Bell Tower tier awarded automatically with admission to high-achieving applicants nationwide.
Verified May 20268 days ago· CA-1
Merit tiers32 automatic on stats
Last verifiedMay 2026Analyst CA-1
Common merit-aid mistakes at Furman
Hollingsworth is restricted to South Carolina residents only. Out-of-state students with strong leadership profiles are evaluated under the Bell Tower ladder, which is real money but does not include the Hollingsworth's $36,000-per-year top line, nor the Public Leadership Seminars cohort access.
Furman publishes a hard cap: gift aid from all sources cannot exceed total cost of attendance. Above that ceiling Furman cuts its own institutional aid — so a $5,000 outside award won't add cash to your refund, it'll reduce Furman's contribution by the same amount.
Furman explicitly says freshmen are not eligible for the STEM Enhancement. Eligibility starts sophomore year for students with the underlying state scholarship who declare an approved math or science major. Do not model the Enhancement into year-one budgets.
John D. Hollingsworth Scholarship — $36,000/year, SC residents only
Hollingsworth is Furman's headline named scholarship: $36,000 per year, renewable for four years, layered on top of Furman's academic admission decision. The catch is that it's restricted to South Carolina residents. Furman selects Hollingsworth recipients from the regular admission pool — no separate interview required — and looks for SC students who combine academic achievement with demonstrated commitment to community service and civic engagement. Recipients also gain access to the Public Leadership Seminars (face time with government and civic leaders) and the Riley Institute's Advantage Scholars program. For out-of-state applicants, this award is not in play and the headline merit ladder is the Bell Tower scholarship.
Strong students looking for a small-college residential experience in the Southeast where the headline merit award is automatic on the admission application — no separate essay or interview. South Carolina residents with leadership and service profiles get a clear additional layer through the Hollingsworth program.
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.
Variable, awarded across a tier ladder based on academic achievement and potential
Bell Tower Scholarship
AutomaticRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
No separate application or interview. Recipients are selected based on the admission application, recognizing students who show strong academic performance and meaningful engagement in their communities. Furman publishes the named tier but not stat-banded cutoffs.
Renewal terms
Renewable for up to four years or eight semesters subject to maintaining academic standing.
South Carolina residents only. Selected based on admission application with no separate interview required. Furman looks for passion for community service, strong leadership skills, and commitment to continued civic engagement at Furman.
Renewal terms
Renewable four years; recipients participate in the Public Leadership Seminars and the Riley Institute's Advantage Scholars program.
Notes
One of the most-named merit awards at any small Southern college. Restricted to SC residents — out-of-state applicants are not eligible regardless of stats.
Awarded to National Merit / National Achievement Finalists who indicate Furman as their first-choice college with NMSC. Stacks on top of other Furman merit aid. A finalist can receive only ONE monetary NMSC award (including this one).
Furman caps gift aid at total cost of attendance. Outside scholarships stack on top of Furman aid up to that ceiling; when total gift aid (Furman + federal + state + private) exceeds COA, Furman reduces its own grants/scholarships to bring the total back under the cap.
Furman's published policy is explicit: a student cannot receive gift aid from all sources in excess of total cost of attendance. When the combined total exceeds COA, the institutional aid (Furman grants and scholarships) is reduced — not the outside scholarship. All outside aid must be reported to the Office of Financial Aid. Furman reserves the right to adjust the package when other resources are reported.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountTwo-year full-tuition scholarshipEligibilityTransfer applicants only. Award based on academic achievement and potential success. Transfer applicants must apply for admission by January 15 to be considered.
Requires only the admission application — no separate scholarship application. Transfer students who apply after February 15 will still be reviewed for Bell Tower scholarships based on the strength of their admission file.
AmountEnhancement awards added to South Carolina state LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarships beginning sophomore year for approved math/science majorsEligibilitySouth Carolina residents who hold the underlying LIFE or Palmetto Fellows scholarship and declare an approved STEM major.
Freshmen are not eligible. The Enhancement is added each fall after the restricted add/drop deadline. Treated as the LAST gift aid on an award offer — reduced first if total aid exceeds COA after self-help is cancelled.
Do I need a separate application for Furman merit aid?
No. Furman states explicitly: 'Your application for admission automatically serves as your application for merit-based scholarships – no separate application required.' That applies to both Bell Tower and Hollingsworth scholarships.
Is the Hollingsworth Scholarship open to out-of-state students?
No. Hollingsworth is restricted to South Carolina residents. Out-of-state students are evaluated for Bell Tower scholarships instead — Furman publishes only that these are 'variable scholarship amounts based on academic achievement and potential,' not a specific stat-banded ladder.
Will an outside scholarship reduce my Furman aid?
It can. Furman's published rule is 'A student may not receive gift aid (grants and/ or scholarships) from all sources (Furman, federal, state, private) in excess of the total cost of attendance at Furman.' When total gift aid exceeds COA, Furman reduces its own grants/scholarships first. Outside awards must be reported.
How much does Furman cost?
For 2026-27, Furman publishes tuition of $62,878 and a direct-cost total of $81,276 (tuition + SGA fee + housing + unlimited meal plan). Adding the $3,650 indirect-cost estimate for books, transportation, and personal expenses brings the published cost of attendance to $84,926.
Can I keep National Merit money on top of Furman aid?
Yes. Furman's $2,000 university-sponsored National Merit scholarship is 'awarded in addition to any other Furman scholarship or grant.' But NMSC only allows a finalist to receive ONE monetary award through the NMSC program — students should coordinate with NMSC before designating Furman as the first choice.
How Furman compares across our verified dataset
43 of 150 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Furman is in a recognizable cluster (43 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
133 of 150 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Furman is one of them. The cohort minority (17 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
50 of 150 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.
Furman is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Furman’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
