General Questions
Follow the steps below to fill out your online application through Self Service Carolina:
- Go to Self-Service Carolina (my.sc.edu)
- Locate "Personal" heading and select “My Housing Portal”.
- You may be prompted to login with your USC credentials and complete Duo Authentication.
- Choose “Columbia Greek Village” from the drop-down menu.
- Select “Greek Village Application” in the garnet banner.
- If the application is not shown as an option, it means that you are not being shown as an active member of your chapter. Please follow up with your chapter president to be added to the chapter roster as soon as possible.
- Click Apply.
- Read over the “Welcome Page” and click “Save & Continue” to begin your application.
- Read through the next pages carefully and click the appropriate button at the bottom to advance.
Finish and submit the application by entering your USC ID.
View instructions here.
These are the standard rates for each organization and are subject to change without notice. Students will be charged the current rate at the time billing occurs. Some organizations have alternate rates for certain circumstances – all requests for a different charge should be submitted through Self Service Carolina.
Charges for housing and meal plan fees will appear on your bill by featuring the letters
"FSL", the owner of the facility, and the type of charge.
Ex. Alpha Chi Omega members will see "FSL Alpha Chi Omega Housing" for housing fees
and "FSL Alpha Chi Omega MP" for meal plan fees.
No – The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life only serves as a billing agent for all the facilities. Once the charges are added to a student account, approval is needed from the house corporation to reduce or remove them. Changes should be submitted online through Self Service Carolina following the steps below
Please note that you must have a Greek Village application on file to access the change request form.
- Go to Self-Service Carolina (my.sc.edu)
- Locate Personal heading and select “My Housing Portal”.
- You may be prompted to login with your USC credentials and complete Duo Authentication.
- Choose “Columbia Greek Village” from the drop-down menu.
- Select “Greek Village Application” in the garnet banner.
- Click Greek Village Change Request.
- Click the garnet button, labeled Continue.
- Enter the reason for your request and then click Submit Change Request.
*To check the status of your request, follow above steps 1-6. If House Corporation decision is blank, then that means they have not yet reviewed your request.
View instructions here.
Follow the same process as if your charges are incorrect. Once charges are applied to a student account, they will remain until the house corporation approves for them to be removed. Also make sure to contact your chapter president to ensure that you have completed all the appropriate paperwork and completed the process of no longer being a member. Most house corporations will not approve any charges to be removed until they have confirmation from the chapter that that process has been fully completed. Note that if you were removed from membership or facility for behavior reasons, you may still be required to pay the full amount.
Rate Verification
March 15 – House Corporations submit rent/meal plan rates for the following school year
Applications
Spring: Aug. 30 – application available online; Oct. 25 – initial billing deadline; applications MUST be complete
Fall: application available online; April 12 – initial billing deadline; applications MUST be complete
Housing Rosters
Spring: Oct. 25 – MUST be final and correct
Fall: April 12 – MUST be final and correct
Changes
Spring: Dec. 13 – all student changes in by this date
Fall: Aug. 23 – all student changes must be in by this date in order to have the reimbursement go through the university
Disbursements
Spring: Feb. 12 – Greek Village Association
Fall: Oct. 2 – Greek Village Association meeting
Housing Questions
That depends on the organization you are joining. For most fraternities, they require that members live in the house for at least two semesters though some may require more based on current membership. Sororities usually have significantly more interest than space so it is not usually required to live in the house. For most sororities, it is an option to live in the house but selection is usually based on some criteria. In the case of both fraternities and sororities, some officers may be required to live in the facility while they are in office.
Each organization handles that process a little differently. The selection process of who and where people live is up to the house corporation or chapter – some use grades, some use participation, some use other criteria. The house corporation or chapter will submit a housing roster to the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life each semester to let us know who will be living in the house the following semester. This will include room numbers as well as if someone will be charged for a private room. The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life needs confirmation from the house corporation or chapter that you will be moving into the house and what your room number will be before the charge will be added to your student bill. If you believe that you should have that charge, please follow up with the house corporation. Our office cannot add that charge without notification from the house corporation.
No – Your contract is with University to live in the residence hall and you are still responsible for that contract in full including any applicable breakage fees and cost. While the Greek Village is considered campus housing, your contract to live there is with the house corporation, not the University. Please note that you MUST cancel your contract with University Housing before you can be assigned to the Greek Village and billed for that cost. You cannot have two locations on campus where you are assigned to live.
Yes – You are responsible for any associated breakage fees as a result of canceling your contract with University Housing. Visit the University Housing website for more information. Some house corporations will assist with a portion of the breakage fee by offering a reduction in rent cost and/or providing a reimbursement but that is at their discretion. You should submit that request online through Self Service Carolina for the house corporation to review.
Maybe – Most organizations have members sign yearlong agreements to live in the facility. If you are choosing to leave the facility to “live” somewhere else you are still responsible for that contract in full unless the house corporation releases you from that obligation. Most house corporations will release you from the full cost if a replacement is found but that process is different for each facility. In some cases, there are students that are coming back from internships, studying abroad or other program that are looking for a place to live and may be able to fill your space in the facility. Be sure to talk to your house manager, property manager or house corporation well in advance to find out what that process is.
Meal Plan Questions
Requirements to be on a meal plan are an obligation of membership and not of the university. If an organization has a facility in the Greek Village, they may require that members be on the meal plan their entire undergraduate career beginning the semester after they join. For example, if someone joins in the fall then they would be added to the meal plan in the spring and for the rest of their undergraduate career. The university does not require members to be on the Greek Village meal plan for the facility, but you may have to quit your organization if you choose not to participate.
Every facility is a little different, but most facilities provide 10 meals a week for all members – usually lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday, brunch on Friday, and dinner on Sunday. Some facilities offer continental breakfast or other options. You can ask your property manager what your specific meal plan includes.
First year residential students who join organizations with a Greek Village house in the fall semester will transition to the Greek Village Hybrid plan in the spring semester of the same academic year. This hybrid plan provides access to both meals on campus and their Greek Village facility for meals.
The students who receive the hybrid plan will automatically be enrolled in the basic hybrid plan which covers both a Greek village portion that covers meals at the house in Greek Village and a university portion that comes with 50 meal swipes and $375 of meal plan dollars. Both can be considered two halves of a whole meal plan and average out to cover 10 meals per week with the meal plan dollars to assist as a student needs.
When the student is billed for this hybrid plan, there will be two separate charges
on their university billing statement – please know this is accurate as one charge
is for the Greek Village house plan and the other is for the University Plan (which
defaults to the Block50). Students who are considered non-residential first years,
or not first year students and are new members of a Greek Village organization will
transition to a full Greek Village meal plan in the spring semester. For example,
a student who is a junior living off campus joins a chapter in Greek Village will
be billed the full house plan the spring semester after they join.
Yes, it is! - As of January 2024, the hybrid meal plan now offers a tiered approach for the University portion of the hybrid plan. Please note that while adjustments can be made to the University portion, the new member will still maintain their Greek Village house portion of the hybrid plan.
As a reminder the basic hybrid plan covers a Block 50 meal swipes and $375 of meal plan dollars. If you are interested in adjusting your university portion of the hybrid plan, we ask that you reach out directly to the Carolina Card office via phone or email. Requesting one of the three upgrade options as they would be able to make the adjustment and share the pricing rates for you:
Option #1: Weekly 10 with $250 meal plan dollars
Option #2: Block 100 with $375 meal plan dollars
Option #3: All access with $250 meal plan dollars
Talk to your property manager in advance, the previous semester if possible. Most facilities provide the option for late plates or other alternatives for you to still get your meals for the week.
Yes – As mentioned above, the requirement to be on the meal plan usually applies for all members for the rest of their undergraduate career.
There are transportation options available for the Greek Village on the Fraternity & Sorority Life website under the Fraternity & Sorority Housing Section. This includes nearby surface lots, nearby garages, and campus shuttles. Most of the facilities also have bike racks and there is parking for mopeds and motor cycles in the Village as well.
Each facility is different about how they handle this. Talk with your property manager in advance to see how it is handled for your facility. You can also submit a change request online through Self Service Carolina. Some facilities may still be able to provide you with meals to take with you during the day. Others may provide you with a reduction in your meal plan cost.
Request your change online through Self Service Carolina to your house corporation. Many organizations will release you from your meal plan obligation but it is based on the practices of the facility and organization. You may still be responsible for a small portion even if you are not on-campus. Remember that the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life must receive approval before the charge is removed. You may be asked by the house corporation to provide documentation confirming that you are in fact studying abroad. The house corporation will specify what they need.
All students with a disability or medical condition that is requesting accommodations must be registered through the Student Disability Resource Center. In order for students to receive approval for a reduced meal plan because of disability, proper paperwork must be handled through the office. Students are encouraged to register early.
Please note, documenting a disability is not a “rubber stamp” process and does not automatically remove meal plans. This is a timely process where specific documentation is required to fully determine the appropriate accommodations. Communication will be provided to the house corporation regarding the accommodations that must be made. If they are only able to partially accommodate the request then they may offer a reduction in the meal plan rate. You may still be responsible for some fixed costs associated with the operating the facility by being a member even if you are not receiving any meals. Once a student registers with the Student Disability Resource Center, it will be on file for their academic career.
Please note – the Student Disability Resource Center does not document religious diet restrictions, nor vegan lifestyles. Please contact your Property Manager to discuss accommodations pertaining to religious or dietary preferences.