The South Carolina Public Charter School District receives and evaluates charter school applications, and its Board of Trustees votes to approve or deny each potential charter school. Each fall, the District conducts a Pre-Applicant Training session for those groups interested in applying.
The South Carolina Department of Education, through its Office of School Transformation, issues the universal charter school application and its evaluation rubric. It conducts a technical assistance session for those wishing to open a charter school. The SCDE also decides which charter schools receive funds under the federally-funded charter school planning and implementation grant.