S.C. Code Regs. § § 62-120

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 11, November 22, 2024

Section 62-120 - Borrower Eligibility

A. To be eligible to receive a loan under the Teachers Loan Program a student shall:

(1) Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States; and

(2) Be a bona fide resident of South Carolina, as defined in applicable State statutes governing the determination of residency for tuition and fee purposes at public colleges and universities within this State; and

(3) Have been accepted for enrollment, or enrolled in good standing in an eligible institution as defined in the Regulations of the Authority and further defined as follows:

(a) For institutions located in South Carolina, those:

(i) Which offer baccalaureate or higher degree programs which are approved for initial teacher certification by the State Board of Education (Board); or

(ii) Whose highest offering is the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science Degrees which are designed for transfer to baccalaureate programs including those in teacher education, and which are eleemosynary institutions accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools;

(b) For institutions located out of the State, those institutions which are regionally accredited and which offer baccalaureate or higher degree programs which are approved for initial teacher certification by the appropriate credentialing agency in that State; and

(4) Be enrolled on at least a half-time basis; and

(5) Indicate a desire and intent to teach in South Carolina in an area of critical need as defined by the Board annually; and

(6) If an undergraduate student who has completed one year (two semesters or the equivalent) of collegiate work and who is attending a South Carolina institution, has taken and passed a "Basic Skills Test" as required by the Board for entrance into a program of teacher education; or if an undergraduate who has not completed one year of collegiate work did achieve a score equal to or greater than the mean score achieved by all examines in South Carolina taking the SAT or ACT in the year of graduation from high school or in the most recent year for which such figures are available; and

(7) If an undergraduate student or a first-time graduate student, have attained a cumulative grade point ratio of at least 2.75 GPR (on a 4.0 scale) in collegiate work; or if an undergraduate who has not completed one semester of college work have graduated in the top 40% of his high school class or have received a high school diploma through completion of adult education courses or passing the GED; and

(8) If an undergraduate student, be formally admitted to an undergraduate teacher education program or if the student is not yet formally admitted to such a program the Department of Education, or its equivalent, at an eligible institution must certify that the student has expressed an intent and desire to enter the field of teaching, and is enrolled in a teacher education program at a time required by the institution; and

(9) If a continuing graduate student, have maintained a 3.5 GPR (on a 4.0 scale) on graduate work; and

(10) If a graduate student, have not previously been certified to teach, but entering a program for the specific purpose of becoming certified; or, if previously certified in a non-critical area, entering a program for the specific purpose of becoming certified to teach in a subject area which is defined by the Board as an area of critical need; and

(11) Be eligible in all other respects as may subsequently be required by the Corporation.

B. To be eligible to receive a loan up to the amount designated for individuals changing careers a student shall:

(1) Meet the eligibility requirements of 62-120(A). Students who have previously earned a baccalaureate degree will not be required to meet the academic standards specified in 62-120(A)(6), (7) and (9) during the initial year of teacher training. All applicable academic requirements must be met for all subsequent years; and

(2) Possess a baccalaureate degree or at the time of initial application be employed as an instructional assistant in the South Carolina public school system; and

(3) Have completed a baccalaureate degree a minimum of three years prior to the beginning of the teacher training (instructional assistants are exempt from this requirement); and

(4) Have been employed on a full time basis for minimum or three years, or the equivalent in part time employment, prior to the beginning of the teacher training; and

(5) Are not receiving any other funds through this program for the same period of teacher training.

C. To be eligible to receive a loan up to the amount designated for individuals participating in the Critical Needs Certification Program a student must be enrolled in the Critical Needs Certification Program as certified by the Board.

S.C. Code Regs. § 62-120

Added by State Register Volume 10, Issue No. 5, eff May 23, 1986. Amended by State Register Volume 11, Issue No. 5, eff May 22, 1987; State Register Volume 13, Issue No. 3, eff March 24, 1989; State Register Volume 17, Issue No. 2, eff February 26, 1993; State Register Volume 18, Issue No. 3, eff March 25, 1994; State Register Volume 25, Issue No. 5, Part 1, eff May 24, 2002.