Newberry County students were awarded more than $3.3 million in college scholarships for the most recent school year.

The Newberry County class of 2012 students who received college scholarships helped contribute to the overall 2012 group by breaking a record for college scholarships since the state has tracked this information.

Overall, the state awarded more than $1 billion in college scholarships for the previous school year.

The senior class for the state totaled $1,063,112,048 and includes all school districts minus Hampton County two, both Governor’s schools, state sponsored charter schools and the S.C. School for the Deaf and the Blind.

Greenville and Lexington Five were the top contenders for scholarships received and they received a total of $222,298,754. Newberry received a total of $3,355,839.

The scholarships represent for both two-year and four-year schools.

For the 2011 year, $966 million dollars were doled out in scholarships and for 2010, $917 million has been doled out. The scholarship numbers have continually increased.

As for why more scholarships have been awarded, the comparison was not addressed regarding tuition increase.

However, this does indicate that students are pursuing college scholarships and aid and the guidance counselors are available to help students find scholarships.

Students may contact the counselors for resources and information is constantly streaming online about scholarships as well as financial aid.