Homeschool benefits and savings in Greenwood County
The Greenwood Promise pays up to 100% of the tuition and mandatory fees left after aid at Piedmont Technical College (PTC) for Greenwood County graduates, including homeschool graduates, with the share set by how many years your family has lived in the county. Homeschool families must email the Promise for a registration form while your student is in high school.
Who qualifies
Homeschools in Greenwood County
Your student lives in Greenwood County and attends grades 9-12 at a public, private, or homeschool in the county.
Lived in the county since 9th grade
Continuous residency since at least 9th grade is required; families who arrived in 10th grade or later get 0%.
Listed in the Promise database
Your student must be in the Greenwood Promise database, and a parent signs consent paperwork if your student is under 18.
Enrolls full time within a year
Your student files the FAFSA and enrolls full time, at least 12 non-developmental credit hours, at a partner college within one year of graduating.
What it is worth
PTC charges Greenwood County students a flat $2,430 for 12 credit hours in 2026-27; the Promise funds a share of the tuition left after aid, set by years of residency.
- Kindergarten through 12th grade (100%)
- Up to $2,430
- Since 4th grade (90%)
- Up to $2,187
- Since 6th grade (80%)
- Up to $1,944
- Since 9th grade (65%)
- Up to $1,579.50
- Since 10th grade or later (0%)
- $0
These are the most the Promise could cover; because it pays only what is left after federal and state aid, a student with a large grant gets less from the Promise.
From applying to keeping it
- In high school
Register with the Promise
Email info@greenwoodpromise.com for the homeschool registration form, return the consent paperwork, and confirm your student is in the database.
- By Aug. 1 or Dec. 1
File the FAFSA
Submit the FAFSA by August 1 for fall or December 1 for spring. Promise staff help at 864-377-8110.
- Within a year of graduating
Enroll full time at PTC
PTC students are enrolled in the Promise automatically. For another technical college, email for pre-approval at least three weeks before classes.
- After drop/add
Award is paid
The Promise pays the college directly after the drop/add period each term.
- Each year
Keep a 2.0 GPA
Hold a 2.0 cumulative GPA, refile the FAFSA, and finish the associate degree or certificate within three years of graduation.
What it pays for
Covered
- Tuition
- Mandatory fees
- Technical degrees and certificates at PTC
Not covered
- Room and board
- Remedial classes
- Summer classes, unless PTC's curriculum requires them
Who pays first
- Federal grants
- State aid
- Greenwood Promise
It is a last-dollar scholarship: government aid applies first, and the Promise pays its share of the tuition and mandatory fees that remain, directly to the college.
A separate bachelor's award at Lander University or for engineering majors is limited, typically 20-25 new students a year, with awards of $1,000 to $6,000 ranked by financial need.
Who to contact
The Greenwood Promise office registers homeschool students, checks the database, and helps families with the FAFSA.
info@greenwoodpromise.com 864-377-8110 Contact page
Homeschool rules and statewide help in South Carolina
Choose one legal route: district-board approval (Option 1), SCAIHS membership (Option 2), or membership in a qualifying homeschool association with at least 50 members (Option 3). Follow that route’s enrollment and renewal process.
South Carolina sets these rules:
- Subjects: Teach reading, writing, math, science, and social studies; add composition and literature in grades 7–12. Provide at least 180 instructional days; Option 1 also requires at least 4.5 hours per day.
- Testing: Option 1 requires the annual statewide tests for the student’s grade. Options 2 and 3 follow their association’s rules; Option 3 has no statutory standardized-test requirement.
- Records: Keep attendance and academic records. Options 1 and 3 require a planbook or diary, work portfolio, and semiannual progress reports; follow district or association submission rules.
- Teachers: A high-school diploma or GED is the minimum educational qualification. A bachelor’s degree is not required for SCAIHS (Option 2). Option 1 requires district approval under Section 59-65-40.
South Carolina also has an education savings account that home-educated students can use.
- The Education Scholarship Trust Fund pays $7,634 for 2026-27. Up to $3,000 of that award may cover approved transportation; it is not extra funding. The program excludes students in Option 1, 2, or 3 homeschool associations. Families on another home-education path must confirm eligibility with the program.
Read the South Carolina homeschooling guide See statewide programs in South Carolina
Questions parents ask
- Can a homeschooled student get the Greenwood Promise?
- Yes. The Promise is open to students at a public, private, or homeschool in Greenwood County. Homeschool families request the registration form by email instead of going through a school guidance office.
- We moved to Greenwood County in 7th grade. How much does my student get?
- 75% of the remaining tuition, as long as your family has lived in the county continuously since 7th grade.
- Does family income matter?
- Not for the technical pathway, which is open regardless of income. Your student still files the FAFSA, but does not need to get a Pell Grant.
- Can my student use it at a four-year university?
- Not directly. Your student can attend PTC tuition-free for two years and transfer to Lander. A separate need-based bachelor's award of $1,000 to $6,000 goes to rising juniors at Lander in eligible majors; the 2027-28 deadline is March 1, 2027.
- Does the Promise pay for summer classes?
- Only if PTC's curriculum requires them. You can appeal by emailing info@greenwoodpromise.com.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
College classes can cover part of high school. We teach the subjects your child needs alongside them, starting at the right level in each subject.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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