House Speaker Bobby Harrell plans to announce on Thursday “enhancements” to the state’s LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarships that would increase the amount given to students who study math or science, said state lawmakers familiar with the plan.

Last year, more than 30,000 students received LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarships, according to the latest numbers provided by the state Commission on Higher Education.

Asked whether the enhancements would mean increasing the value of the scholarships, Greg Foster, Harrell’s aide, said, “It might involve that.”

“These new enhancements are aimed at increasing opportunities for our state’s students to contribute to tomorrow’s knowledge-based economy,” Harrell’s press release said.

South Carolina has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to attracting top-tier researchers to the state, and to build new classrooms and laboratories at the University of South Carolina, Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina. Raising the value of the scholarships for math and science students would add another incentive aimed at turning high-level academic research into economic development for the state.

Foster would not comment further on Harrell’s plan. He said the Charleston Republican would make details public at a 10:30 a.m. news conference at the State House.

The merit-based LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarships help the state’s high-achieving students pay the tuition at S.C. colleges and universities.

The $5,000 annual LIFE scholarship requires students to maintain a B average in college. The $6,700 annual Palmetto Fellows award goes to the highest-achieving students.

The last time lawmakers increased the scholarships was 2002. The General Assembly raised the LIFE scholarship to $5,000 from $3,000. It raised Palmetto Fellows to $6,700 from $5,000.

University leaders contacted by The State on Monday said they were unaware of Harrell’s proposal.

Those leaders said they have been urging increases in state need-based assistance, which would help pay tuition for students who do not satisfy the academic requirements for the LIFE and Palmetto Fellows programs.

But any increase in assistance to students will be welcomed in a state where public school tuition is among the nation’s highest.

South Carolina’s state-assisted colleges have been steadily increasing tuition in recent years. When the LIFE scholarship was set at $5,000 annually in 2002, it covered the cost of tuition at most state-assisted institutions.

Four years ago, the $5,000 LIFE scholarship covered all of USC’s $4,784 tuition and fees, and it provided a small book allowance. But four straight years of double-digit tuition increases caused USC’s academic cost to almost double.

Most students do not pay the sticker price at the state-assisted colleges today. But this year, a USC student with a $5,000 LIFE scholarship still had to pay $2,808 in tuition and fees out of pocket.

University officials say tuition is higher in South Carolina in large measure because of the low level of state government support for the institutions.

USC provost Mark Becker has said while South Carolina spends $4,392 a year on each public college student, neighboring states provide much more. Georgia, which also has a state-funded scholarship program, provided $8,201 per public college student, while North Carolina provided $12,027 a student.

Reach Hammond at (803) 771-8474. Reach Sheinin at (803) 771-8658.