my.sc.edu and Your Financial Aid
Below are step-by-step instructions to help you view information about your financial aid on my.sc.edu. If you have recently been admitted and have not yet done so, click here to manage your user account and claim your account.
Financial Aid Eligibility Requirements
Once you complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and it is received by USC, you should check your financial Aid eligibility and requirements on my.sc.edu.
Student Requirements
Sometimes, our office requires additional documentation to continue determining your eligibility for aid. To view your student requirements, log into my.sc.edu and choose your campus. Choose “Financial Aid” then “Financial Aid Dashboard”. If you have any unsatisfied requirements, read the instructions to see what information you need to provide to satisfy the requirement. Once the information you provide is processed by the Financial Aid Office, my.sc.edu will show the requirement as satisfied.
Holds
In my.sc.edu, select “Eligibility” then “Holds” to view any holds on your account that may affect your financial aid.
Academic Progress
To maintain your eligibility to receive financial aid, you must meet the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards. To check your status, log in to my.sc.edu and choose your campus. Choose “Financial Aid” then “Financial Aid Dashboard”. Click on “Satisfactory Academic Progress.”
If you are “Not Making Academic Progress”, you may be able to appeal. Contact your Financial Aid Office for help.
Financial Aid Offers
Once eligible, you can view your financial aid offers in my.sc.edu. To view your awards, log in to my.sc.edu and choose your campus. Choose “Financial Aid” then “Financial Aid Dashboard”. Click on “Award Offer” to view your aid.
Most grants (free money that does not need to be paid back) and institutional scholarships are automatically accepted on your behalf.
Complete Required Certification
If you have been offered a LIFE Scholarship, a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, Lottery Tuition Assistance, or a SC State Need-based Grant, you must complete a required certification by taking the following steps:
- Log in to my.sc.edu and select your campus.
- Select “Financial Aid” then “Financial Aid Dashboard”.
- Under Student Requirements, you will see “Click here to complete the SC State Certification”.
- Complete your certification.
Accepting Your Aid Offer
After reviewing your financial aid, you can accept or decline your offers for the aid year. Most grants and institutional scholarships are automatically accepted on your behalf, but Federal Direct Loans require your action.
To accept or decline your aid, take the following steps:
- Log in to my.sc.edu and select your campus.
- Select “Financial Aid Dashboard” then “Award Offer”.
- If an aid offer requires your action, you will see a “Select” tab in the “Take Action” column.
- Select “Accept” to accept the full amount, “Decline” to decline the full amount, or “Modify” to change the amount you wish to accept. Please note that if your aid is offered for fall/spring, then modifying will split the amount evenly between fall and spring. If you want to cancel a portion of your aid for one semester, please contact your Financial Aid Office.
Federal Direct Loan Requirements
If you are offered Federal Direct Loans, are a first-time Direct Loan borrower, and would like to borrow student loans to help pay for your educational costs, you will need to take a few additional steps.
- Log in to my.sc.edu and select your campus.
- Select “Financial Aid Dashboard” then “Award Offer”. On this screen you can view your Direct Loan offers in the “Options to Pay Net Cost” section. You can also accept, decline, or modify the amount you would like to borrow. We encourage you to only borrow what you need.
If you choose to borrow, you will need to sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and complete Entrance Loan Counseling. To see you if you need to complete these requirements, take the following steps:
- In my.sc.edu, click on “Financial Aid” then “Financial Aid Dashboard”. If required, you will see instructions in the Unsatisfied Requirements section. Follow the instructions.
Fee Authorization
The U.S. Department of Education requires that federal financial aid only be applied toward allowable institutional charges such as tuition and fees. With your authorization, the University can apply any federal aid you receive to non-institutional charges (such as parking fines) appearing on your student account for the current academic year and up to $200 of non-institutional charges for the prior year.
To review the Title IV Fee Authorization, take the following steps:
- In my.sc.edu, select “Financial Aid” then “Financial Aid” then “Financial Aid for Aid Year”.
- Select “Resources/Additional Information”.
- Read the statement then choose either “Agree” or “Do Not Agree”.
If you change your mind after you have submitted your decision on the Title IV Fee Authorization, contact your campus Business Office to update this information.
College Financing Plan
The Financial Aid College Financing Plan is designed to help you assess your total cost of attending a USC Palmetto College campus. Using a simplified format, the sheet presents information about your available financial aid, net costs, and how much you should expect to pay out-of-pocket. This information should be used to help you compare financial aid packages offered by different institutions.
You will be able to access the College Financing Plan after you have been offered aid for the requested academic year.
To view and print the College Financing Plan, log in to my.sc.edu and choose your campus. Select “Financial Aid”, “Financial Aid Dashboard” then “College Financing Plan”. The figures noted in the college financing plan are based on estimates; your specific costs may differ from the information provided.
Summer Financial Aid
For financial aid purposes, summer is the end of the academic year. A student’s eligibility for summer financial aid is based upon your remaining annual limits for grants and loans. To be considered for federal financial aid for summer, you must have FAFSA on file for the current academic year (the one used to determine your eligibility for financial aid for the preceding fall and spring semesters).
In addition to the FAFSA, applicants for summer financial aid must complete a USC Financial Aid Summer Application available on my.sc.edu beginning April 1. The deadline to complete the application is July 10. The compressed time frame for summer demands that our office adhere to strict application deadlines.
To be considered for summer financial aid:
- If you haven’t already, submit a 2023-24 FAFSA.
- To submit a 2024 Summer Application, click on the link below for your campus then choose your aid year (2023-24):
- If you haven’t already, meet with your advisor and enroll in your summer classes.