Registration
1. Late enrollment or payment of fees (after prescribed registration day); $5 per day (Maximum $350).
2. Enrollment with check or credit card returned by the bank for any reason, $25, plus late fee above (Maximum $375).
Bad checks. Check or credit card (other than one used for enrollment) returned by bank for any reason, $25.
Infirmary. Failure to pay infirmary bills when due, $5.
Library. Failure to pay library charges when due, $5.
Unauthorized Room Occupancy in University Residence Halls
1. Changing rooms without permission, $15.
2. Occupying room without notifying University Housing (new and nonresident students); student liable to charge of $25.
Damage. Students will be charged for damage to University property or equipment.
Parking
1. Delinquent violations not paid or appealed after the third school day from the date of issue, bond will increase as follows:
$5 bond increased to $8; $10 bond increased to $13; $15 bond increased to $18; $25 bond increased to $28; $100 bond increased to $103.
2. Warrants will be served after 30 days of notification to registered owner. Bond will increase as follows:
$8 bond increased to $11; $13 bond increased to $16; $18 bond increased to $21; $28 bond increased to $31; $103 bond increased to $106.
Refund Policies for Complete Withdrawal
The University will refund a part of academic fees in certain cases.
A. Changes in a student’s status which require a refund:
- change in a full-time student’s schedule which results in reclassification to part-time
- change in a part-time student’s schedule which results in fewer credit hours
B. Situations which require a refund:
- course or courses dropped
- withdrawal from the University
- cancellation of a class by the University
Refund Requests
All requests for refunds must be made during the academic year for which the fees were paid. Refunds may be requested at any time during the academic year. The academic year begins with the fall term and ends with the last summer session (Summer II).
Determining the Refundable Portion
The refund is for the portion of the tuition, fees, room, board, and other charges assessed the student equal to the period of enrollment that remains on the withdrawal date, less any unpaid amount of a scheduled payment for the period that the student has been charged.
Withdrawal Refund Policies
Standard Refund Policy
A. 100 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is by the first week of classes of a 16-week session
B. 90 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (A) and on or before the end of the 10 percent
period of enrollment for which the student was charged
C. 70 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (B) and on or before the end of the 16 percent period of enrollment for which the student was charged
D. 50 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (C) and on or before the end of the 25 percent period of enrollment for which the student was charged
E. 25 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (D) and on or before the end of the 50 percent period of enrollment for which the student was charged
Title IV Funds (Federal Student Aid) Refund Policy
Refund policy for students who have received Title IV funds and withdraw from the University differs from that stated above. Federal financial aid funds are awarded with the expectation that students will complete the entire period of enrollment. Students "earn" a percentage of the funds that are disbursed with each day of class attendance. When a student who has received federal aid funds (Title IV Funds) leaves school before the end of the semester or a designated period of enrollment, federal regulations require the University of South Carolina to calculate the percentage and amount of "unearned" financial aid funds that must be returned. Once a student has completed more than 60 percent of the enrollment period, all funding received is considered to have been earned. This calculation may have the effect of requiring the student who withdraws before this time to repay funds that have already been disbursed or credited toward the current account for tuition, fees, housing and/or meals. Students are encouraged to meet with a counselor in the Office of Student Affairs, or the appropriate office on their campus, prior to making a decision to withdraw from school.
Title IV Refunds Distribution
For fully withdrawn students receiving federal and/or state funds, the refund will be governed by the current Federal Title IV refund policy. The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships determines the amount of the refund that is distributed back to Title IV, HEA programs, or other financial aid sources. For students and their parents who have received student loans or other forms of financial aid, the University will provide refunds in the order prescribed by federal regulations. With the exception of the Federal Work-Study Program, the institution must return the refund to the appropriate financial aid program up to the amount of assistance that the student received from those programs. Refunds are to be distributed to the financial aid programs in the following order:
1. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
2. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
3. Federal Perkins Loans
4. Federal PLUS Loans
5. Federal Grants
6. Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Professions Loans
7. State funds
8. Private or institutional scholarships and loans
Any remaining balance will first be used to repay any outstanding University charges and any subsequent balances will be refunded to the student/parents.
Exit interviews are required before leaving the University of South Carolina for all students who withdraw and have received Stafford, Perkins, or Federal Nursing loans. Exit interviews can be completed on the Internet at www.sc.edu/financialaid. Click on "Loan Counseling on the Web" and follow the instructions. Or you may contact the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships at 803-777-8134, or the Loan Collection Department of the Bursar’s Office at 803-777-3559 for the Columbia campus. Telephone numbers and referenced offices are different for each campus.
Summer Sessions and Other Shortened Sessions Refund
Procedure for Withdrawal
Adjusted refund schedules are printed in the Master Schedule of Classes and are available in the Office of Financial Services.
A. 100 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is by the end of late registration period
B. 90 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (A) and on or before the end of the 10 percent period of enrollment for which the student was charged
C. 50 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (B) and on or before the end of the 25 percent period of enrollment for which the student was charged
D. 40 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (C) and on or before the end of the 36 percent period of enrollment for which the student was charged
E. 25 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (D) and on or before the end of the 50 percent period of enrollment for which the student was charged
Refund Schedules
Refund schedules are printed in the Master Schedule of Classes.
Dropped Courses Refund Procedure
A percentage of fees will be refunded for course(s) dropped within two weeks (fall, spring and summer) after the first official day of classes or within an equivalent period for other sessions. No refunds will be made thereafter.
1. Drops--Fall and Spring Courses
A. 100 percent refund for courses dropped before the end of the late registration period
B. 70 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (A) and on or before the end of the 16 percent period of enrollment for which the student was charged
2. Drops--Summer Terms
A. 100 percent refund for courses dropped before the end of the late registration period
B. 40 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (A) and on or before the end of the 36 percent period of enrollment for which the student was charged
C. 25 percent refund of the charges if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (B) and on or before the end of the 50 percent period of enrollment for which the student was charged
3. Other Shortened Sessions
Adjusted refund schedules are printed in the Master Schedule of Classes.
4. Correspondence Course Fees*
Circumstance:
- 100 percent if application is not accepted
- 75 percent if withdrawal is within one month and/or before an assignment has been submitted for grading and correction
- No refund for withdrawal after one month or after an assignment has been submitted for grading and correction
*All requests for refunds must be received in writing before the end of the first month of enrollment.
Appeals Process
A process for appeals exists for students or parents who believe circumstances warrant exceptions from published policy.
A Withdrawal Appeals Committee for each campus reviews and acts on all appeals. Address appeals for the Columbia campus to: Withdrawal Appeals Committee, Office of Student Affairs, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.
Housing Fees
1. Students in the following categories are eligible for refunds in accordance with the terms shown in their Residence Hall contract:
a. newly admitted students who do not attend the University of South Carolina
b. students who graduate from school at the end of the fall semester
c. students who are suspended for academic reasons
d. students who get married.
Check the contract or call University Housing for deadline dates and other information.
2. Tenants who do not withdraw from the University but desire release from their contracts will be placed on a contract release waiting list with University Housing. Releases will be granted only when all other space is filled and the space can be rented for the balance of the year to another tenant. Students will be notified upon release and appropriate refunds will be made.
Withdrawal Refunds
Students seeking to fully withdraw from the University (drop all classes) during an academic semester must complete a withdrawal form at the Student Development Office, Russell House, West Wing, Room 108, during University business hours, or call 803-777-4333.
In establishing a diminishing-scale refund process for withdrawals, the University operates on the philosophy that many of the basic costs of instruction are incurred at the end of the first week of classes or within an equivalent period for nonstandard semesters. The assignment of a classroom seat to an individual student precludes any other student from occupying that seat. In addition, an instructor is assigned and the costs of instruction are encumbered on the first day of classes.
A student who withdraws from the University after the first week of classes has already occupied a classroom seat that cannot be reassigned. As a result, the University cannot both maintain its financial integrity and also provide a full refund. Accordingly, the University has established a series of refund deadlines commensurate with student progress into the semester.
It is the responsibility of the Student Development Office to administer the withdrawals process on a daily basis and to apply the published refund schedule to routine withdrawals. On those rare occasions when it can be documented that unanticipated and extenuating circumstances directly related to a student’s withdrawal warrant exceptional consideration, and the amount of the refund due is contested, the Student Development Office will inform the student of the appeal process and advise the student of the necessary procedures.
University Withdrawal Refund Appeal Procedures
The University Withdrawals Refund Appeal Committee is authorized to consider appeals and approve extraordinary exceptions to the University’s published withdrawal refund schedule due to humanitarian and due-process considerations.
Guidelines for committee consideration of withdrawal appeals are:
1. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the Student Development Office and will be considered only in written form. A standardized appeal form must be submitted.
2. All requests for appeal must be submitted directly by the student through the Student Development Office and must meet one or more of the following criteria to be considered and approved by the appeals committee:
a. Documentation of an accident, illness, injury, or incident which could not be influenced, predicted, planned for, or prevented by the student or the institution. This provision specifically excludes conditions or chronic illnesses known to the student at the time of enrollment.
b. Demonstration that the application of the published refund policy would result in a specific and substantial personal hardship to the student. This provision specifically excludes circumstances or effects which would simply inconvenience the student or the student’s family.
c. Documentation of substantiated circumstances where a student has in good faith relied upon the veracity of a University official’s advice, or the official’s interpretation of the text of a University document or publication, and was consequently misled or mistaken about the terms of the published refund policy.
3. The appeal must be initiated during the semester for which the refund is requested.
4. The appeal must involve a total withdrawal from the University. No partial withdrawals will be considered.
5. Appeals will only address whether or not a refund will be granted. No consideration will be given to grade assignment or other academic issues. Students must address such issues directly with the faculty members and the college. If applicable, requests for Extenuating Circumstances Withdrawals for grade change purposes must be resolved prior to deliberations by this committee.
6. Grounds for consideration of an appeal will be restricted to only those circumstances personally experienced by the enrolled individual with whom the University has a direct relationship. Loss or illness of a family member, close associate, or employee, and/or difficulty in family-operated businesses are excluded from consideration.
7. Decisions will be made by a simple majority vote of the committee membership and documented in writing by the chairperson. The student will be informed of the outcome of the appeal by letter from the Student Development Office.
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