Get merit aid21%First-year students, CDS 2024-2025 (school-estimated)
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Free Merit Check
See what Presbyterian (PC)'s published rules mean for your student's numbers. Takes 30 seconds.
The merit-aid verdict at Presbyterian (PC)
PC maps every GPA band — including below 3.0 — to an 'up to' merit award of $22,000-$30,000, layers guaranteed Promise scholarships on top ($30,000/yr for Palmetto Boys/Girls State alums, $24,000/yr minimum for Presbyterians), but enforces a hard direct-cost cap that can claw back institutional and state aid.
Rules that bite at Presbyterian (PC)
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Presbyterian (PC)'s own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalSouth Carolina Palmetto Fellows Scholarship (state award): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewal requires all three: earn 30 credit hours each academic year; maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA; enroll full-time each semester. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
capHard $67,450 cost-of-attendance ceiling
Institutional aid at Presbyterian (PC) cannot push the package past $67,450. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Presbyterian (PC)
Every freshman tier is an 'up to' figure (e.g., Founders 'up to $30,000'), and the page only promises you are 'automatically considered.' The exact award within your GPA band is set by PC — get your actual number in writing before comparing offers.
Both the Boys/Girls State Promise ($30,000/yr) and the Presbyterian Promise ($24,000/yr) 'may not be combined with other merit scholarships.' Only the $2,000/yr Laurens County Promise explicitly combines with merit.
PC's stated policy: 'all gift aid, including private scholarships, cannot exceed the direct cost of attending PC. If your total aid surpasses this amount, institutional and state aid may be adjusted.' Direct costs for 2026-2027 residential students are $62,204 — aid above that line triggers reductions.
The Griffith is 'up to $61,170 ... less all other applicable aid' — other aid is deducted from it. It also excludes books, premium housing, Maymester/summer courses, and requires a 3.0 cumulative GPA to renew for its three renewal years.
Griffith consideration requires applying by October 15; the Service Entrepreneurship and Boys/Girls State Promise awards require applying to PC by November 1 — months before regular decision timelines.
The tuition page warns: 'Financial aid awards only apply to Typical Double Room rates. Students and parents are responsible for paying the difference on other residence halls' (e.g., Upperclassman Apartments at $9,430 vs standard $6,110 for 2026-2027).
Merit awards last 'a maximum of eight semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first.'
Who this school is for
Strong for SC students who can pair state aid with PC's large merit bands, for Palmetto Boys/Girls State alumni (guaranteed $30,000/yr), and for members of Presbyterian churches (guaranteed $24,000/yr minimum) — as long as families understand the awards don't combine.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $67,450 for 2026-2027. Source
Federal cost and outcome data
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Presbyterian (PC), what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Presbyterian (PC), academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$18,277
$30,001–$48,000
$15,985
$48,001–$75,000
$19,366
$75,001–$110,000
$19,901
$110,001+
$27,032
All income levels (average)
$20,528
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$44,910
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$20,528
That works out to roughly a 66% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $60,242 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
51%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
80%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$26,000 (~$276/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$60,194
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
43%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
61%
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.
Up to $22,000-Up to $30,000…Up to $22,000-Up to $30,000 (by GPA band)
Banded: 4.00 (Founders, up to $30,000); 3.75-3.99 (Highlander, up to $28,000); 3.25-3.74 (Belk, up to $26,000); 3.0-3.24 (Tartan, up to $24,000); <3.0 (Trustees Award, up to $22,000)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Incoming first-year students; 'automatically considered for merit scholarships when you submit your application for admission to PC—no separate application required.'
Renewal terms
Merit awards support 'a maximum of eight semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first.' No renewal GPA is published on this page.
Notes
automaticOnStats is false because the page says students are 'automatically considered' (not automatically granted) and every amount is an 'up to' maximum, implying discretion within each band — ask the aid office how the exact figure is set.
Up to $61,170…Up to $61,170 (tuition, fees, standard housing, standard meals, less all other applicable aid)
Griffith Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
By invitation only; two high school seniors selected each year; on-campus competition; exceptional academics, leadership, character. Apply by October 15th to be considered.
Renewal terms
Scholarship is renewed for three years. Continued eligibility is contingent upon maintaining a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at PC.
Notes
Fall/spring semesters only (Maymester/summer excluded); does not cover books, premium housing, or personal expenses; amount is 'less all other applicable aid' — other aid is subtracted, not stacked. Amount/coverage 'may be subject to change.'
Minimum $24,000 per year…Minimum $24,000 per year ($96,000 commitment)
Presbyterian Promise Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Members of Presbyterian churches, or students attending Presbyterian/Reformed secondary schools; indicate affiliation on the admission application; new incoming undergraduates.
Renewal terms
Up to four years.
Notes
May not be combined with other merit scholarships; if a merit award exceeds $24,000/yr, the student receives the larger award instead. Total aid (federal, state, private included) may not exceed direct costs.
All admitted transfer students meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress qualify.
Renewal terms
Transfers must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress to qualify; renewal terms beyond SAP not stated.
Notes
Fixed amounts (not 'up to'); page states all admitted transfers meeting SAP qualify, with no application mentioned. Note: the 3.00 boundary appears in two bands as published (2.50–3.00 and 3.00–3.49).
Up to $6,700…Up to $6,700 (freshman year); up to $7,500 (sophomore-senior years)
South Carolina Palmetto Fellows Scholarship (state award)
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
3.5 at end of junior year (state uniform grading scale) + top 6% of class; OR alternate path: 4.0 at end of senior year + 1400 SAT/31 ACT (both required)
SAT
1200 (standard) / 1400 (alternate)
ACT
27 (standard) / 31 (alternate)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
SC residents; additional $2,500 enhancement for eligible math/science majors from sophomore year.
Renewal terms
Renewal requires all three: earn 30 credit hours each academic year; maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA; enroll full-time each semester.
Notes
Students may receive only ONE of the three SC scholarships (Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, or HOPE).
PC enforces a direct-cost ceiling on all gift aid: if total aid (including private scholarships) exceeds the direct cost of attending, institutional and state aid 'may be adjusted.' The big Promise awards (Boys/Girls State $30,000, Presbyterian Promise $24,000) cannot be combined with other merit scholarships; the Griffith is awarded 'less all other applicable aid.' Only the small Laurens County Promise ($2,000/yr) and the transfer PTK award ($2,000) explicitly stack.
Private scholarships section: 'all gift aid, including private scholarships, cannot exceed the direct cost of attending PC. If your total aid surpasses this amount, institutional and state aid may be adjusted according to regulations.' Presbyterian Promise: 'The total financial aid award, including federal, state, and private scholarships, may not exceed direct costs.' Griffith: 'up to $61,170 ... less all other applicable aid.'
From the Presbyterian (PC) Common Data Set 2024-2025 (school-estimated figures):
Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Presbyterian (PC)’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
21%of admitsget merit
Average award$18,883Covers ~28% of $67,450 cost of attendance
At Presbyterian (PC), roughly 1 in 5 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $18,883 — about 28% of total cost.
As filed in Presbyterian (PC)'s CDS Section H2A: of 258 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 55 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $18,883. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 189 of 849, averaging $19,104. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.
The 2024-2025 column is marked "estimated" in the school's own CDS filing — school-projected figures, not final audited counts.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountAmount not published (top winner receives 'a comprehensive scholarship')EligibilityHigh school seniors and transfers who develop a plan to solve a local problem; apply to PC by November 1 to enter.
Renews three years with 3.0 cumulative GPA; fall/spring only; excludes books/premium housing.
AmountFull tuition and fees (or a matched flat amount)EligibilityLaurens County students with 60+ credit hours and 3.0 GPA at PTC; federal AND state aid eligibility (full tuition path) or federal OR state (match path); HS graduation 3 years prior.
Not to exceed two consecutive years; renewal requires SAP and continued aid eligibility.
AmountMinimum $20,000 (transfer merit up to $26,000)EligibilityMTC associate's degree in Applied/Biological/Forensic Psychology with 2.5+ GPA; guaranteed admission; +$2,000 for PTK members.
Griffith Scholarship: apply by October 15. Service Entrepreneurship Scholarship and Girls State/Boys State Promise: apply to PC by November 1. Transfer PTK certificates: June 15 for fall, January 5 for spring. The pages do not state the year for each deadline — confirm the exact cycle dates with admissions.
Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?
No — 'You're automatically considered for merit scholarships when you submit your application for admission to PC—no separate application required.' Note the awards are 'up to' amounts by GPA band.
What does PC cost for 2026-2027?
Residential students: direct costs $62,204 (tuition $44,360, fees $3,200, average housing $7,144, standard meal plan $7,500) plus estimated indirect costs of $5,246, for a total cost of attendance of $67,450. Commuters: $62,270 total COA.
Can I combine the Presbyterian Promise with a merit scholarship?
No. It 'may not be combined with other merit scholarships.' If your merit award exceeds $24,000/yr, you receive the larger merit award instead.
Will my outside scholarships reduce my PC aid?
They can. All gift aid including private scholarships cannot exceed PC's direct costs; aid above that amount results in institutional and state aid being 'adjusted according to regulations.'
How Presbyterian (PC) compares across our verified dataset
241 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Presbyterian (PC) is in a recognizable cluster (241 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
668 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Presbyterian (PC) 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 Presbyterian (PC)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
