South Carolina nonpublic postsecondary bonds.
From $100.
The bond a nonpublic postsecondary institution files with the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) to protect students’ tuition if the school closes. The CHE sizes it to your gross income; pricing is 1% of the bond amount, with a $100 minimum, and your exact price appears at the application.
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How much does a South Carolina nonpublic postsecondary bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard tuition bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the CHE. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your institution details, the bond amount the CHE required, and the effective date — that is the application.
Approved for most applicants
No credit check up to $25,000, and the bond is priced at 1% of the amount, with a $100 minimum — the executed bond is generated as soon as you pay. Above $25,000, a soft pull may add a short review.
File with the CHE
Submit the executed bond with your nonpublic postsecondary license application or renewal. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Commission insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually covers
South Carolina licenses private, non-degree and degree-granting nonpublic postsecondary institutions through the Commission on Higher Education under S.C. Code § 59-58-80. The CHE may require a surety bond as a condition of licensure, conditioned on the institution faithfully performing its contracts for tuition and instructional fees.
The bond is a student-protection guarantee: if the school closes or fails to perform its tuition contracts, the bond — together with the state's student tuition recovery fund — pays refunds of unearned tuition and prepaid fees to enrolled students.
The CHE sets the amount by rule, generally as a percentage of anticipated annual gross tuition income (commonly around 10%, in increments, with a stated minimum; out-of-state institutions are sized on income from South Carolina residents). Enter the amount on your license and we issue it starting from $100 — no credit check up to $25,000. An institution may also pledge other collateral acceptable to the State Treasurer in lieu of the bond.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the CHE. Submit the executed bond with your nonpublic postsecondary license application or renewal. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Commission insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $25,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with the bond amount the CHE set — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other South Carolina bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Tuition bond, issued today.
Pricing from $100. Enter the amount the CHE set and file the same day.