What is the primary benefit of the Carolina Top 10 Promise?

The Carolina Top 10 Promise primarily offers free tuition and fees for qualifying South Carolina residents. This initiative aims to make higher education more accessible by alleviating the financial burden of college costs for eligible students. By covering these expenses, the program encourages more in-state students to pursue their education at the University of South Carolina, thereby supporting both the students' academic goals and the state's educational attainment objectives.

The other options, while beneficial in their own contexts, do not capture the essence of what the Carolina Top 10 Promise specifically provides. For example, free textbooks could significantly help students financially, but the promise focuses more on tuition and fees. Similarly, guaranteed housing relates to accommodations rather than the financial aspect addressed by the promise, and merit-based scholarships for out-of-state students do not align with the in-state focus of the Carolina Top 10 Promise. Thus, the emphasis of the promise is clearly on making higher education feasible through tuition support for qualifying residents.