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


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