ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – South Carolina high school students who graduate in the top 15 percent of their class will be guaranteed a Winthrop University merit scholarship.
Called the Winthrop Scholars Guarantee, the scholarship will offer at least $5,000 in institutional scholarship funding from Winthrop to high-achieving first-year students for the Fall 2027 semester. There is no income or adjusted gross income restriction, so every South Carolina high school student in the top 15 percent of their graduating class will receive guaranteed admission to Winthrop and scholarship money.
President Edward Serna ’02 said the Winthrop Scholars Guarantee supports the university’s efforts in intentionally recruiting those high-achieving students in the top of their class and welcoming them into Winthrop’s already exceptional student body.
“These students have demonstrated that they are South Carolina’s best and brightest,” Serna said. “We know they can be successful at Winthrop based on their high school academic record. This is our way of letting these students know that we want them here, and we're willing to commit and invest in them.”
The Winthrop Scholars Guarantee allows the university to maintain its rigorous admissions and academic standards and add an academically strong cohort to its growing pool of potential students, according to Amanda James, vice president for enrollment management and marketing.
“These incredibly bright students have an average GPA of approximately 4.9,” she said. “These are academically accomplished students who have demonstrated their ability to succeed. Winthrop wants to recognize that achievement and make a clear commitment to them. It provides certainty to high-achieving students early in their college search,” James said. “It also demonstrates Winthrop’s commitment to keeping talented students in the Palmetto State.”
The Winthrop Scholars Guarantee joins several other scholarship opportunities available at the institution and builds on guaranteed-admission strategies familiar in the state’s higher education market. To learn about other scholarship opportunities at Winthrop, please visit https://www.winthrop.edu/finaid/scholarships/.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu.
