More keep state's LIFE scholarships

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Freshmen, though, continue to struggle, with just over half keeping the scholarship in their sophomore year.

Of the 14,616 students to receive the scholarship in fall 2001, 68.1 percent still had it in 2002, according to the state's most recent report. That was 1.1 percentage points better than the previous year.

The scholarship is becoming more critical as students scramble to find ways of paying the soaring tuition at state colleges and universities.

Clemson University sophomore Nicholas Sadie, 20, said he's had to fall back on his parents and an inheritance after losing the scholarship. While he's come close to winning back the award twice, his parents have told him he may have to attend a less expensive school if his grades don't improve, he said.

"I'd be pretty bummed, especially since I joined the rugby team this semester," he said.

State Rep. Ronnie Townsend, R-Anderson, said the state will never have enough money to send all students to college for free. So those who lose the scholarship will have to find other ways of paying, he said.

"There are always going to be some that fall through the cracks," he said.

Clemson University's tuition has risen an unprecedented 107 percent in the past five years, bringing the in-state bill to $6,958 a year. With fees and other expenses, the university expects the average bill to come to $12,952 this year.

At Clemson, 66.5 percent of students kept the scholarship. It was 71.5 percent at the University of South Carolina.

Dennis Pruitt, USC's vice president of student services, said he would like to see all students keep the scholarship. But some freshmen find themselves stunned by the competition and tougher classes they find at the university level, he said.

"Even if they come from a good high school or (Advanced Placement) program, sometimes that's not as rigorous as what they face when they get to college," Pruitt said.

The longer the scholarship stays in place, the more students are keeping it. Students in 2001-2002 posted a 7 percent increase, or 61.1 percent, over 1999-2000, the latest numbers released by the state Commission on Higher Education.

Voorhees College, a private school in Denmark, led the state's retention rate in 2001-02 with nine of 10, or 90 percent of recipients, keeping the scholarship. Bob Jones University led Greenville County, as 213 of 266, or 80.1 percent, held onto the award.

High school seniors entering college can win the scholarship by achieving two of the following three: a 3.0 grade-point average, an 1100 on the SAT or 24 on the ACT or graduating in the top 30 percent of their class.

Students who lose the scholarship can get it back by regaining a B average.

Pruitt said that if students want to hang on to the scholarship, they should use the library and tutoring services and manage their time.

"You can't miss a class," he said.

Paul Alongi can be reached at 298-4746.