Limestone University · South Carolina
Limestone advertises merit awards from a 2.0-GPA Founders Scholarship up to a Presidential Palmetto award covering full tuition, fees, room and board — but that top award absorbs all federal, state, and outside aid, and the university caps stacked awards at full tuition, room and board.
The award 'covers full tuition, fees, room, and board LESS any federal, state and outside scholarships/grants' — every other dollar you bring (including private scholarships) reduces Limestone's contribution, not your bottom line below direct costs.
Combined academic, divisional, athletic, and special scholarships are capped 'up to a maximum of full tuition, room and board,' and that maximum 'includes all federal and state grants.'
The page listing Dean's ($12,500) and Founders ($5,500) amounts still shows 2020-2021 tuition and the old 'Limestone College' name. Current amounts may differ (the live scholarships page could not be machine-read). Get 2026-2027 award letters in writing.
The costs page instructs: 'Submit your FAFSA before June 30' and 'S.C. Tuition Grant application deadline is June 30th.' SC Tuition Grant also requires full-time fall enrollment — failing to enroll full-time in fall forfeits the entire award year (per the catalog).
Per the catalog and costs page, the three SC state awards are mutually exclusive, and LIFE has a strict four-year window from first college enrollment with 30-credit-per-year renewal.
Accessible merit aid for a broad range (a 2.0 GPA historically earned the Founders Scholarship), with the biggest payoff reserved for SC Palmetto Fellows designees via the Presidential Palmetto Scholarship — verify current amounts with the aid office before relying on them.
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.
Renewal terms not stated on the page opened.
STALE RISK: sourced from a Limestone costs page still showing 2020-2021 figures; a search-engine description of the current site references an 'Academic Dean Scholarship' up to $13,000 with different GPA bands, which could not be verified on an opened page. Confirm current amount/criteria.
Renewal terms not stated on the page opened.
STALE RISK: same dated source page; confirm current amount.
Offered to individuals who have been awarded the SC Palmetto (Fellows) Scholarship.
Up to four years, provided satisfactory academic progress continues with the student maintaining Palmetto renewal requirements.
Gap-fill design: the award is reduced by ALL federal, state, AND outside scholarships/grants — it tops up to full direct costs rather than stacking. STALE RISK source page; confirm terms.
Apply online; performance/talent-based — 'For performance scholarships, contact the coach, director or specific department.'
Renewal terms not stated on the page opened.
STALE RISK source page.
Limestone caps combined awards: students eligible for multiple academic, divisional, athletic, and/or special scholarships may receive totals only up to full tuition, room and board — and that ceiling counts federal and state grants. The Presidential Palmetto award goes further, explicitly deducting federal, state, AND outside scholarships/grants from its full-cost coverage.
From the costs page (stale risk): 'Students who are eligible for multiple academic, divisional, athletic, and/or special scholarships may receive awards totaling up to a maximum of full tuition, room and board. This maximum includes all federal and state grants.' Presidential Palmetto: 'covers full tuition, fees, room, and board less any federal, state and outside scholarships/grants.' How outside scholarships affect students below the cap is not stated.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
STALE RISK source page. A search-engine description of the current site also mentions a 'Visit Grant' for students attending an official admissions visit — NOT verified on an opened page; ask the aid office.
From the current academic catalog.
No institutional scholarship deadline is published on the pages that could be read. The FAFSA should be submitted before June 30 (Limestone federal school code 003436), and the S.C. Tuition Grant application deadline is June 30.
Per the (dated) costs page: Dean's Scholarship up to $12,500 (3.0+ GPA and 1100+ SAT or 24+ ACT), Founders Scholarship up to $5,500 (2.0+ GPA), the need-based Limestone Grant, the Presidential Palmetto Scholarship (full direct costs, less other aid, for SC Palmetto designees), Fine Arts up to $4,500, and athletic awards. The current scholarships page could not be machine-read — confirm 2026-2027 amounts with the aid office at financialaid@limestone.edu.
No 2026-2027 cost figures were found on the pages opened. The costs page still displays 2020-2021 charges and a '$30,800' cost-of-attendance answer from that era — treat as outdated and request current figures.
No — combined institutional awards are capped at full tuition, room and board, a maximum that includes all federal and state grants.
Limestone is in a recognizable cluster (160 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
Limestone 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.
Every claim is checked against Limestone’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
