<p>Our daughter applied out of state to South Carolina last year with a 1290/1980 (all 3 scores over 600) and did not receive any scholarship money. She also played lacrosse year around from middle school through her senior year and had won a district award. When I called to ask why she was not qualified for a scholarship, I was told with her SAT scores she would have needed a 4.0 overall GPA to meet the requirements for even the lowest level of scholarship. I called back again and got the same response. Her GPA was low because she spent her Freshman and Sophomore years at a private school with tough grading standards, resulting in a 2.9 GPA. When it came to scholarships they did not take into account the quality of that school or the work she did there. The admissions office told me they recalculated her GPA at a 3.36 overall and that they did not give any weight whatsoever to her private school grades. That was a shame because she surely proved through her junior year record of all As and Bs while taking 6 academic classes and earning a 3 and a 4 on her AP exams (not to mention her SAT scores) that she had put in the work necessary to excel even if her grades at private school did not show it. Also, she had a 4.4 weighted (all As and Bs and an A final grade for micro econ) for the first semester of her senior year taking 5 APs including calculus and an AP lab science. Be aware that when you fill out the application depending on your combined math and verbal SAT score you will either be asked to apply to the honors college or not. When she applied in October, 2011, the score cut off was a 1260 I think and at that time she had a 1250. That 1260 was a considerable jump over the score required to apply the previous year. We have a close family friend who graduated this year. She applied with a 1270 (and a low writing score) and a GPA well under 3.5 as she also attended a private school with tough grading standards. She however received a McKissick which today requires a 1344 avg SAT and a 4.13 high school GPA. Here is the link to the current info on the website [Academic</a> Scholarships](<a href=“Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships | University of South Carolina”>Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships | University of South Carolina). Things have changed a lot in 4 years at South Carolina. Ultimately my daughter chose a private college that offered her money bringing the cost to what South Carolina would have been out of state. Interestingly, that university has much higher overall SATs and GPAs than does SC. But probably the most important reason she chose another school was the warning she received from her brother who is a rising senior in South Carolina’s Moore School of business with a 3.6 GPA. He told his sister to expect long lines and maximum frustration for practically everything (unless you are in the honors college) as South Carolina is struggling to accommodate its growing enrollment.</p>