EXHIBIT 31.1

                    CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

I, Jim B. Apple, certify that:

1.     I  have  reviewed  this  Quarterly  Report on Form 10-Q of First Citizens
Bancorporation  of  South  Carolina,  Inc.;

2.     Based  on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement
of  a  material  fact  or  omit  to  state a material fact necessary to make the
statements  made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were
made,  not  misleading  with  respect  to  the  period  covered  by this report;

3.     Based  on  my  knowledge,  the  financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of the Registrant as
of,  and  for,  the  periods  presented  in  this  report;

4.     The  Registrant's  other  certifying  officers  and I are responsible for
establishing  and  maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange  Act  Rules  13a  15(e)  and 15d 15(e)) for the Registrant and we have:

      a)    Designed  such  disclosure  controls  and procedures, or caused such
            disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to  be  designed  under  our
            supervision,  to  ensure  that  material information relating to the
            Registrant,  including  its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known
            to  us  by  others  within  those  entities, particularly during the
            period  in  which  this  report  is  being  prepared;

      b)    Evaluated  the effectiveness of the Registrant's disclosure controls
            and  procedures  and  presented in this report our conclusions about
            the  effectiveness  of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of
            the  end  of  the  period  covered  by  this  report  based  on such
            evaluation;  and

      c)    Disclosed  in  this  report  any change in the Registrant's internal
            control  over  financial  reporting  that  occurred  during  the
            Registrant's  most  recent  fiscal  quarter  that  has  materially
            affected,  or  is  reasonably  likely  to  materially  affect,  the
            Registrant's  internal  control  over  financial  reporting;  and

5.     The Registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on
our  most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the
Registrant's auditors and the audit committee of Registrant's board of directors
(or  persons  performing  the  equivalent  function):

      a)    All  significant  deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design
            or  operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
            reasonably  likely  to  adversely affect the Registrant's ability to
            record,  process,  summarize  and  report financial information; and

      b)    Any  fraud,  whether  or  not  material, that involves management or
            other  employees  who  have  a  significant role in the Registrant's
            internal  control  over  financial  reporting.


Date:  November 13, 2003                               /s/   Jim  B.  Apple
                                                       --------------------
                                                       Jim B. Apple
                                                       Chief Executive Officer


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