A technical college in rural South Carolina is offering free tuition for the first 500 students who enroll for the fall 2021 semester.
Denmark Technical College said a new scholarship program will give $2,813 in tuition credit, saying they want to try and take away financial barriers for prospective students after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The offer is good for new and returning students, the college in Bamberg County said in a statement.
The $2,813 covers in-state tuition. Out-of-state students will get that much in a credit off of their bill, the college said.
Denmark Technical College is South Carolina's only historically Black technical college and its enrollment has fallen from about 1,400 a decade ago to about 350 students now.
The college will use scholarships, donations and money from the state lottery to pay for the program.
"This tuition assistance will provide access to education to students who, for many, have been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and who otherwise may have had to forgo pursuing their educational and career goals," Denmark Tech President Willie Todd Jr. said in a statement.