South Carolina State Fair accepting scholarship applications

Listen to this article

Three hundred thousand dollars in South Carolina State Fair Ride of Your Life scholarships are up for grabs for students planning to attend S.C. colleges.

Fifty $6,000 scholarships will be awarded to S.C. high school seniors, who will receive $1,500 a year for four years. Students pursuing two-year degrees will also receive $1,500 per year, according to a news release.

“Education is the fair’s mission, and we feel strongly it is of utmost importance to continue our scholarship program this year, even though the pandemic greatly affected the SC State Fair in 2020,” Nancy Smith, state fair general manager, said in the release.  “We know that students will need extra funding for college more than ever.”

The state fair featured drive-through exhibits and food vendors in 2020.

The scholarships must be used at an S.C. university, college or educational institution and may be used to cover tuition or other expenses including on-campus housing or supplies such as computers and textbooks.

Criteria include academic and extracurricular achievement, communication skills and need.

Applications must be completed at scstatefair.org by March 15, and winners will be notified in mid-May.

Recipients must retain a 3.0 GPA and enroll in no less than 30 credit hours each academic year.

Additional information is available on the fair’s website or by contacting Betsy Cooper at betsyc@scstatefair.org or 803-799-3387, ext. 110.