COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) South Carolina will guarantee four-year scholarships to its qualifying NCAA sports.
The school sent out letters to its 383 athletes Thursday, 121 of whom will receive the full four-year guarantee when renewing their scholarships. Those athletes are in what the NCAA calls ''headcount'' sports of football, men's and women's basketball, women's tennis and volleyball where each player receives a full scholarship.
South Carolina's other teams are classified as ''equivalency'' sports where coaches divide up a set number of scholarships among their roster. Senior associate athletic director Charles Bloom said the school is exploring how to create a similar process for them.
The school said scholarships would increase to include full cost of attendance upon NCAA approval.
