General Information
How to Find Non-Institutional Scholarships
How to Utilize Your Non-Institutional Scholarship

Non-Institutional scholarships include any funding awarded directly to a student by non-USC affiliates, businesses, organizations, groups, or individuals. Non-Institutional scholarships can be based on a variety of criteria including but not limited to academic merit, financial need, community service, area of study, organizational affiliation, place of residence or employment, and ethnic or religious background. Often Non-Institutional scholarships can be applied to any college or university, including USC-Columbia.
It is important to note that Non-Institutional scholarships may affect the amount of need-based financial aid you are allowed to receive in your total financial aid award package.
Books to search for information about Non-Institutional scholarships and scholarship sponsors are usually available at your public library. There are also quite a few websites with information about Non-Institutional scholarships for which you might be eligible.

Below are some links to help you in your search for scholarships!
Before you search:

• Beware; scholarship scams do exist. Check out this scholarship scam information from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
• Note that the scholarship search websites to which we provide links do not charge for the search; however some websites may sell your name to other companies. When you register to participate in the search, you should consider whether you want to receive mailings from groups who may buy your name and address from the website owners.

Non-Institutional Scholarship Websites:
American Indian College Fund
This organization provides information about resources for Native Americans.

Archibald Rutledge Scholarship
The Archibald Rutledge Scholarship encourages and recognizes academic and artistic excellence; students compete for scholarships in creative writing, drama, music, and visual arts. Twelfth-grade students enrolled in a South Carolina public school and planning to attend a state college or university are eligible to participate in the scholarship competition. Students receiving the scholarships must be United States citizens who have attended the state's public schools for the past two consecutive years.

Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola Scholarships are awarded based on character, personal merit, and commitment.
Gates Millennium Scholars
Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hispanic College Fund
This organization provides information for funding resources for Hispanic Americans.

James F. Byrnes Scholars Scholarship
All applicants must have lost one or both parents by death, have financial need, and plan to pursue a bachelor's degree.

The J.E. Sirrine Scholarship Program
J.E. Sirrine Scholarships is available to high school graduates in The School District of Greenville County (South Carolina) and is based on financial need and academic ability.

Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship
The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program promotes academic excellence through federal funding. The scholarship amount is determined by the amount of a United States Department of Education grant and is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study. South Carolina high school seniors planning to attend post-secondary institutions within the United States are eligible to apply.

Sallie Mae Fund Scholarships
All Sallie Mae Fund programs are based on financial need, as The Fund seeks to bridge the dollar gap when no one else can.

South Carolina Student Loan Corporation Scholarship Giveaway
High school seniors, college students and the parents of high school seniors and college students are eligible to enter, provided they are either SC residents or attending a two-year or four-year college in the state.

United Negro College Fund
This link provides a list of some of the scholarship available from UNCF.

USA Funds Access to Education Scholarship
USA Funds® will award $1,500 individual scholarships to students with economic need through USA Funds Access to Education Scholarships®.

Watson-Brown Foundation
The Watson-Brown Foundation provides scholarships to students from Georgia and South Carolina based on merit and financial need.

Non-Institutional Scholarship Databases and Search Engines:

BrokeScholar
This database is home to 650,000 scholarship award listings.

Center for Scholarship Administration
Free Scholarship listing.

College Answer
This is the Web's premiere destination for getting a head start on preparing for the world of continuing education.

College Board Scholarship Search
Complete the brief questionnaire and Scholarship Search will find potential opportunities from their database of more than 2,300 sources of college funding, totaling nearly $3 BILLION in available aid!

CollegeNET
Free scholarship search.

Colleges.com
Free scholarship search.

College-Scholarships.com
Free scholarship search.

FastWeb
Large database of 375,000 scholarships.

Petersons.com
One of the largest free online scholarship databases with over 1.6 million listed scholarships available.

Scholarship America
Free scholarship listings.

ScholarshipExperts.com
Constantly updates their database to provide the most accurate scholarship information available.

Contacting the Financial Aid Office
All scholarship checks and authorizations should be mailed to the address listed below. If you need to contact this office by telephone, you may reach us at (803) 777-8134.

Non-Institutional Scholarship Program
Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships
University of South Carolina
1714 College Street
Columbia, SC 29208

Checks Made Payable to USC
Scholarship checks that are made payable to USC should be sent to the above address. Make sure that you include your name, social security number and any award notification correspondence with the check. We need to know any disbursement instructions and often need the donor's name and address. Once the check is received, it will be recorded and made available for you to use towards your fees. Please keep in mind that any checks received by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships after the following receipt dates will be made available as soon as possible, but may not be available before fee payment. You may check the University's VIP system at http://vip.sc.edu for the most up-to-date information.

Checks Made Payable to You and USC
Scholarship checks that are made payable to you and USC must first be endorsed by you and then mailed to the above address. Failure to endorse the check prior to mailing can cause delays in its availability. Make sure that you also include your social security number and any award notification correspondence with the check. We need to know any disbursement instructions and often need the donor's name and address. Once the check is received, it will be recorded and made available for you to use towards your fees. Please keep in mind that any checks received by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships after the following receipt dates will be made available as soon as possible, but may not be available before fee payment. You may check the University's VIP system at http://vip.sc.edu for the most up-to-date information.

Written Authorizations To Bill or Invoice
If the donor has given you a form that authorizes a scholarship, the form must be sent to the above address. Make sure that you include your name, social security number and any award notification correspondence with the authorization. We need to know any disbursement instructions and often need the donor's name and address. Once the authorization is received, it will be recorded and made available for you to use towards your fees. Please keep in mind that any authorizations received by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships after the following receipt dates will be made available as soon as possible, but may not be available before fee payment. You may check the University's VIP system at http://vip.sc.edu for the most up-to-date information.

Receipt Dates and Fee Payment
If the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships receives your scholarship check or authorization by the dates outlined below, the credit will appear on your University bill. You may visit the University's VIP system at http://vip.sc.edu in order to commit your award towards your University charges. In cases where your available financial aid exceeds your charges, you may elect to have your financial aid overage direct deposited into your bank account or mailed to you. To avoid class schedule cancellation, you must pay your fees prior to the semester fee payment deadline. Details regarding fee payment and direct deposit may be obtained by calling the Bursar's Office at (803) 777-4234.

Checks and authorizations received after the following dates will be made available as soon as possible, but may not be available before fee payment.

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