Making college decisions just got a little easier with the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund’s online College Guide.
The College Guide offers key data points on the state’s best colleges and universities to help prospective students better understand their in-state options. It’s the first resource of its kind in South Carolina.
“The College Guide exists to help students make more informed decisions about their futures,” said John Huber-MacNealy, senior program director for the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund. “Students can use this tool to research potential colleges and find the institution that best fits their needs. We encourage students to consider the colleges profiled because of their track record for student success.”
The College Guide focuses exclusively on South Carolina’s 17 higher education institutions with six-year graduation rates of 50 percent or higher. Students who attend these institutions are more likely to graduate in six years, and students who choose one of these schools can take advantage of the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund if they meet its four other criteria.
Initially launched as a comprehensive 33-page PDF in April, this latest version includes updated statistics and enhances the user’s experience with new features, such as the ability to compare up colleges based on different factors such as SC LIFE Scholarship retention rate or graduation rate.
Additionally, the College Guide features a Cost Calculator that enables students to input their scholarships and expected expenses to estimate a projected cost.
“Applying to college can feel daunting, and we hope this College Guide simplifies and streamlines information for both students and their families,” Huber-MacNealy said.
The College Guide includes figures such as graduation rates, student outcomes, enrollment, campus location, demographics, majors and student to faculty ratio.
The Scholarship’s criteria include:
- Live in one of 13 eligible counties
- Graduate from a public high school
- Earn a SC LIFE or Palmetto Fellows Scholarship
- Apply for FAFSA and receive a Federal Pell Grant
- Enroll in one of 17 in-state colleges with a graduation rate of 50 percent or higher.
The Scholarship will begin accepting applications for the 2025-26 school year on Jan. 6, 2025.
