Expenses

Overview

The University reserves the right to alter any of the following charges without notice. All charges are due and payable on the date that they are incurred or the due date indicated on the ticket, invoice, or statement. Checks or credit cards for the exact amount of the total charges should be made payable to the University of South Carolina.

Any student who has failed to pay all required registration fees on or before the last date to change course schedules (as indicated in the University calendar) may be dropped from class rolls. Any student who fails to relieve any other indebtedness to the University or to any of its auxiliary agencies on the date such obligations become due may not be permitted to remain in University residence halls or be issued a transcript, diploma, or degree.

Legal Residency

Free Tuition

Certain exemptions from tuition fees have been established under South Carolina Law. Relevant sections of the code are reproduced below. Please note that these laws include free tuition only. Other academic fees and mandatory fees are still the responsibility of the student.

1. S.C. Code Ann. § 59-111-20 (Law Co-op. Supp. 1993)
   1. A child of a wartime veteran, upon application to and approval by the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs, may be admitted to any state-supported college, university, or post high school technical education institution free of tuition so long as his work and conduct are satisfactory to the governing body of the institution, if the veteran was a resident of this state at the time of entry into service and during service or has been a resident of this state for at least one year and still resides in this state or, if the veteran is deceased, resided in this state for one year before his death, and provided the veteran served honorably in a branch of the military service of the United States during a war period, as those periods are defined by Section 101 of Title 38 of the United States Code and:
      1. was killed in action
      2. died from other causes while in the service
      3. died of disease or disability resulting from service
      4. was a prisoner of war as defined by Congress or Presidential proclamation during such war period
      5. is permanently and totally disabled, as determined by the Veterans Administration from any cause
      6. has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor
      7. is missing in action, or
      8. the applicant is the child of a deceased veteran who qualified under item (4) and (5).
   2. The provisions of this section apply to a child of a veteran who meets the residency requirements of Chapter 112 of this title, is 26 years of age or younger, and is pursuing any type of undergraduate degree.
2. S.C. Code Ann. § 59-111-110 (Law Co-op. 1976) No tuition shall be charged for a period of four school years by any state-supported college or university or any state-supported vocational or technical school for children of firemen, both regularly employed and members of volunteer organized units, organized rescue squad members, members of the Civil Air Patrol, law enforcement officers or correction officers, including reserve and auxiliary units of counties or municipalities, who become totally disabled or are killed in line of duty on or after July 1, 1964.
3. S.C. Code Ann. § 59-111-10 (Law Co-op. 1976) The first-place winner of the essay contest sponsored by the Governor’s Committee on the Employment of the Physically Handicapped, provided that he is qualified and in financial need, may receive a four-year scholarship. This scholarship may be cancelled if the recipient fails to maintain general scholastic and conduct standards established by the University.
4. S.C. Code Ann. § 59-111-320 (Law Co-op Supp. 1984) Legal residents of South Carolina who have attained the age of sixty (60) and meet admission and other standards deemed appropriate by the University may attend classes for credit or noncredit purposes on a space available basis without the required payment of tuition if these persons do not receive compensation as full-time employees.

Academic Fees

These fees reflect the actual costs for the 2010-2011 academic year. For current fee information please contact the USC Lancaster Business Office. The University reserves the right to alter any of the following charges without notice.

Fall and Spring Semester Academic Fees

Twelve or more semester hours

1. South Carolina residents, per semester ($2,748 for students who have earned less than 75 hours); ($4,067 for students who have earned 75 or more hours)
2. Nonresident, per semester ( $6,876 for students who have earned less than 75 hours); ($8,151 for students who have earned 75 or more hours)

Fewer than 12 semester hours

1. South Carolina resident, per semester hour ($229 for students who have earned less than 75 hours); ($353 for students who have earned 75 or more hours)
2. Nonresident, per semester hour ($573 for students who have earned less than 75 hours); ($706 for students who have earned 75 or more hours)

Summer Session Academic Fees

The following fees are payable in full at the beginning of each summer term and should not be sent in advance. Students bringing checks from home should have separate checks in the exact amount to cover the expenses.

1. South Carolina resident, per semester hour ($229 for students who have earned less than 75 hours); ($353 for students who have earned 75 or more hours)
2. Nonresident, per semester hour ($573 for students who have earned less than 75 hours); ($706 for students who have earned 75 or more hours)

Course Auditing

Residents and nonresidents pay the same rate as they would pay for courses taken for credit.

Correspondence Course Fees

1. Course fee (college level, without video component), per semester hour ($125)
2. Courses including videocassette work will be assessed an additional charge

Application Fee

Every new student will normally be charged a nonrefundable application fee of $40; exceptions to, or relief from, this charge may be made for certain special categories of admission. All applications must be accompanied by the application fee. This fee is for admission application only. The fee for readmission applications is $10. The fee for non-degree seeking application is $10.

Fee waiver forms are accepted only by those who are eligible as follows:

• If you are a South Carolina resident who is currently enrolled in high school and you receive a fee waiver for the SAT or ACT. A fee waiver form, obtainable from your high-school guidance counselor, must be submitted with the admission application.
• If you are a high school senior who is a dependent of a full-time USC Lancaster faculty or staff member.

Matriculation Fee

A nonrefundable matriculation fee of $50 is assessed to all current degree-seeking students on a one-time basis. This fee is also assessed to entering (or re-entering) degree-seeking students.

Technology Fee

Full time, $196; part time, $15 per hour.

Challenge Examinations

To establish undergraduate college credit without class attendance or to validate credits from a non-regionally accredited college-per semester hour, $25

Cross-Campus Enrolled Students

Courses originating from other USC campuses are made available to students enrolled at USC Lancaster. Students who enroll in courses originating from more than one campus pay fees based upon the originating campus’s fee schedule. Please refer to the Business Office website to determine fees http://usclancaster.sc.edu/busoffic/index.html or log on to vip.sc.edu to view your fees.

Refund Policy

I. Policy

The University will refund a part of academic fees in certain cases:

1. Changes in a student’s status, which may require a refund.
   1. Change in a full-time student’s schedule, which results in reclassification to part-time status
   2. Change in a part-time student’s schedule, which results in fewer credit hours.
2. Situations, which may require a refund.
   1. Course or courses dropped
   2. Drop/Withdrawal from the University
   3. Cancellation of a class by the University

II. Procedure

1. Refund Requests
   
   All requests for refunds must be received during the academic year for which the fees were paid. The academic year begins with the fall term and ends with the summer term. Refunds may be requested at any time during the academic year in which the applicable term occurs.
    
2. Determining the Refundable Portion Procedure
   
   Student refunds for tuition are calculated based on the student’s liable hours after the drop/withdrawal. Liable hours are calculated as the total hours a student is still registered plus the liable portion of the dropped/withdrawn course(s). The liable portion is computed by taking the number of dropped hours times the liability rate (which is 100 percent minus refund percentage). The refund amount is determined to be the difference of the original assessment and the assessment based on the new liable hours. For students whose liable hours are 12 or above, no refunds are processed. Other academic fees are non-refundable after the 100 percent refund percentage. For students activated for full-time military service during an academic term, the University follows state law in Section 59-101-395. Any refund calculated will be applied to the student account.
    
3. Drop/Withdrawal Refund Polices
   
   Standard Refund Policy For Dropping/Withdrawal From The University:
   
   All refunds will be based solely on the percentage of time (in days) between the first day of a part-of-term and the last day of a part-of-term. The percentage (in days) will include all Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays between the start and end dates of each part-of-term. Exceptions to this rule may only be made by the Bursar’s Office. In these instances, any change in the refund percentage would be moved out to the next closest business day. Courses fewer than six days long, first day = 100% refund, remaining days = no refund
    
   1. 100 percent if the student’s official drop/withdrawal calculation is within 6% of the enrollment period for which the student is liable.
   2. 70 percent if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (1) or before the end of the 10 percent period of enrollment for which the student is liable.
   3. 50 percent if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (2) or before the end of the 16 percent period of enrollment for which the student is liable.
   4. 20 percent if the student’s official withdrawal calculation is between the period specified in (3) or before the end of the 25 percent period of enrollment for which the student is liable.
4. Refund Schedules
   
   Refund schedules are relocated under the important deadlines on the Registrar’s website (http://registrar.sc.edu/)
    
5. Return of Title IV Funds
   
   Refunds Policy For Students Who Have Received Title IV Funds And Withdraw From The University
    
   1. 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 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, they are considered to have earned all funding received. This calculation may have the effect of requiring the student who withdraws before this time frame to repay funds that have already been disbursed to the student or credited towards their 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 the decision to withdraw from.
       
   2. Title IV Refund Distribution
      1. 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, funds will be returned in the order prescribed by federal regulations. The institution must return the funds to the financial aid program other than College Work Study, up to the amount of assistance that the student received from those programs. Funds are to be distributed to the financial aid programs in the following order:
         • Unsubsidized Federal Stafford
         • Subsidized Federal Stafford
         • Federal Perkins
         • Federal PLUS Loan
         • Federal Pell Grant
         • Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant
         • Federal TEACH Grant
         • Federal Iraq/Afghanistan Service Grant  
      2. Any remaining balance will first be used to repay any outstanding university charges and any subsequent balances will be refunded to the student/parent.
      3. Exit interviews are required before leaving the University of South Carolina for all students who withdraw and have received Stafford, Perkins or Federal Nursing/Health Professions Loans. Exit interviews can be completed at http://www.sc.edu/financialaid/loan_counseling/default.html. Questions regarding exit counseling should be referred to the appropriate campus Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.
          
6. Appeals Process
   
   A process for appeals exists for students or parents who believe circumstances warrant exceptions from published policy. The student must be fully withdrawn from the University in order to apply for an appeal.
   
   The Withdrawal Refund Appeals Committee reviews and act on all appeals. Address appeals to:

Withdrawal Refund Appeals Committee
(Columbia Campus Only)
Office of the Registrar
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
803-777-5555

Withdrawal Refunds

All full- or part-time students wishing to withdraw from the University or to discontinue enrollment from all courses for the semester should follow the instructions online at https://vip.sc.edu when they request to drop their last course. Staff members in the Office of Admissions and Records are available to assist students in completing the withdrawal process. In addition, staff from the Office of Financial Aid can provide financial counseling concerning withdrawing from classes. Students requesting withdrawal for extenuating circumstances after the penalty date (last date for W grade) should consult with staff in the Admissions and Records Office.

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 Business 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 Business 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 Business 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 Business Office and must meet one or more of the following criteria to be considered and approved by the appeals committee:
   1. 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.
   2. 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.
   3. 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 Business Office.