1.) Apply for admission to the University of South Carolina through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and apply for non-university scholarships.

• State Scholarships(HOPE, LIFE, and Palmetto Fellows) will be awarded automatically provided that you are eligible and the following requirements have been completed:

•  In-state residency has been confirmed with the Legal Residency office

• Final high school transcript has been evaluated by the Office of Undergrad Admissions
• Palmetto Fellows recipients should complete and submit the “In State Transfer” form at the SC Commission on Higher Education website.
• Departmental Scholarships
• Consult with your department of study to see if Academic Departmental Scholarships are available.

3.) Check the status of your FAFSA.  Federal aid will not be awarded until your status is complete.

• If you are a first-time user of VIP, set your VIP PIN.

• Submit any requested information by the priority deadline of April 1st.  If your status is not complete by April 1st, then you may miss out on awards that have limited funding.  However, you may still submit your FAFSA even if you miss the priority deadline.

Notes:  A complete status includes the submitted FAFSA and any additional information requested.

4.) If you transfer in the middle of an academic year, financial aid does not automatically transfer to USC.

• If you were awarded a Federal Direct Loan, PLUS or private loan at your previous school and your loan was for the entire academic year, you should contact the financial aid office at your previous school and request your spring disbursements to be cancelled.


• If you received LIFE or HOPE Scholarship and attended a four-year school or were in your third semester or beyond at a technical or two-year school during the fall semester, you must submit a copy of your award letter from that school to verify your eligibility.


• If you were a first semester freshman at a technical or two-year school during the fall semester and received LIFE scholarship, you must be certain that USC-Columbia has received your final high school transcript.

5.) Check your awards.  USC-Columbia begins awarding Federal Aid on April 1st.You will automatically be considered for Federal Grants and Direct Loans. 

• After you have been awarded, use our cost estimator to help you decide if other aid is needed. 
• Parents of dependent undergraduate students may apply for a Federal Direct PLUS Loan if more aid is needed.
•  Only as a last resort, you may consider applying for a Private Educational Loan

6.) Complete the State Scholarship Certification Statement on VIP if you have been awarded the South Carolina Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, HOPE, or State Need-Based Grant.

7.) Accept or decline your loans on VIP.  If you wish to make any other changes to your awards, submit your updated award letter to our office with your signature.

8.) Complete Federal Loan Entrance Counseling.

• For Direct Loans
• For Perkins Loans

9.) Complete your Federal Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN).

• For Direct Loans
• For Perkins Loans

12.) Send non-institutional scholarship checks to:
Office of the Bursar; University of South Carolina; 516 South Main Street; Columbia, SC 29208.

13.) Review Optional Fees and Pay Your Fees using VIP.

• Please note that there is a Fee Authorization that you will need to complete on the Financial Aid Awards page.  Fee authorization is required and separate from fee payment.           

• You must apply your available financial aid to your bill using VIP. Failure to do this will result in the cancellation of your class schedule. Aid does not disburse automatically.