Affordability, Campus Wide, Financial Aid

CSU announces tuition promise program, first private university in SC to cover tuition

By Jenna Johnson | November 15, 2023

Charleston Southern University announced the launch of Buc Promise, a new renewable scholarship for Pell-eligible South Carolina residents with a minimum 3.5 high school GPA. The only private university in South Carolina making this tuition guarantee, Charleston Southern will cover the remaining costs of tuition after Pell and other gift aid are applied during a student’s four years at CSU. The program kicks off with the incoming Fall 2024 class.

“Higher education is the pathway to purpose,” President B. Keith Faulkner said. “As a first-generation college student and an alumnus of CSU, I can relate to the challenges and choices that so many students face. Charleston Southern is where I earned the opportunity for a better life, and our commitment to creating an affordable and accessible private Christian higher education experience for South Carolina residents is a decision that will impact generations to come. To transform one student’s life is to transform his or her legacy.”

Students eligible for Buc Promise must:

Be a resident of the State of South Carolina

Hold at least a 3.5 unweighted GPA

Complete the FAFSA

Be Pell-eligible for more than the “Minimum Pell Grant”

Enroll full-time in a traditional degree program

Be pursuing a first bachelor’s degree

Buc Promise is renewable each year, provided the student maintains eligibility.

“We are excited to reveal this tuition promise program that is certain to change the trajectory of lives for the better in our state,” Dr. Anthony Turner, vice president for enrollment and marketing, said. “For many students who are Pell-eligible, finances stand in the way of their dream of earning a bachelor’s degree. And many shy away from private education thinking that the educational costs are too high. Not only will Buc Promise break that barrier for our Pell-eligible applicants, but we hope this program will shine light on how students CAN afford a Christian higher education experience.”

To learn more about Buc Promise and apply to CSU, go to www.charlestonsouthern.edu/bucpromise.