Financial Aid
If you plan to accept your Direct Unsubsidized Loans via SSC, you must complete Entrance Counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN). In the entrance counseling, be sure that you complete the counseling for a graduate or professional student. The option for this is located on the first page after you select to complete Entrance Counseling (the same page where you select your school). Remember, you must select USC Columbia as your school. The same will hold true if you choose to request a Grad PLUS loan from studentaid.gov.
SC Residency
All SC residents are required to complete the Residency Certification on SSC prior to the start of the academic year in order to verify your status as a South Carolina resident for tuition purposes. We recommend that you do this as early as possible. Failure to do so will result in a bill at the non-resident rate for tuition this the fall.
If you are not a South Carolina resident and will be applying for residency prior to your M2 academic year, we recommend that you take the following steps by July 10 before your M1 year begins:
- Obtain a SC Drivers License
- Register your vehicle in the SC county where you live
- Have a lease signed in your name. The lease should have a duration of one year or longer.
Also, if your parents claimed you on their most recent tax returns, please remind them that they will not be able to do so in the future or they will compromise your SC residency application for next year.