In South Carolina, college became a little more affordable. The South Carolina Workforce and Industry Needs Scholarship (SC WINS) – passed in June by the state’s general assembly – is designed to address workforce shortages in the state while giving students in these critical needs majors a tuition discount.

The scholarship supplements the state’s Lottery Tuition Assistance to help cover any tuition and mandatory fees left after applying all other scholarships or grants. Recipients will receive $50 per credit hour, up to $600 total per semester, after applying all other scholarships or grants. There’s also a book allowance of up to $300 per year if a student is enrolled in at least one course in a critical workforce area during the semester.

“The extra funds from the SC WINS are a welcome bonus to many of our students and will help make education more affordable while also helping individuals enter the workforce in critical areas across our state,” DJ Wetzel, director of financial aid at Greenville Technical College, said in a release.

Those critical workforce areas include advanced manufacturing, computer and information technology, construction and health care.

So, for example, if a student at Tri-County Technical College enrolls in classes in a designated field, he or she can save up to 81 percent, according to a release from the college. Students taking six hours in one of the designated workforce fields will pay $210 out of pocket, plus the cost of fees, per semester.  For full-time students (12 credit hours), the cost is $420 plus fees per semester.

“These major discounts can reduce tuition for service area residents from $185 per credit hour to $35 per credit hour,” said Adam Ghiloni, director of financial aid at Tri-County. “This opportunity gives residents a path to economic mobility by enabling them to get the education needed for in-demand careers – not just a job. College can be affordable and manageable for both full- and part-time students pursuing degrees, diplomas and certificates at all of our campuses.”