Award Terms and Conditions

The USC Aiken Office of Financial Aid awards financial aid in accordance with federal, state, and institutional policies and regulations.  Your indicated aid preferences are considered in the awarding process.  Because of funding limitations, it is usually not possible to meet all of a student's calculated financial need.  Financial aid is awarded primarily to supplement the resources of the student and his or her family, with whom lies the primary responsibility for meeting educational expenses. The financial aid application process must be repeated each year. Financial aid is not automatically renewed.

Financial aid for USCA's summer sessions requires a separate application.  Summer applicants must contact the Office of Financial Aid in early March to obtain the proper form(s) and to be informed of applicable deadlines.

Award Notification and Information:  If you are offered financial aid, we will notify you of your eligibility by sending you an award letter. This notice may indicate funds from more than one financial aid program. Your award letter will also indicate any non-University assistance of which we were aware when your award was determined.  Detailed information regarding the types of financial aid which may be included in your award letter can be found at www.usca.edu/financialaid/intro.html. 

Your financial aid will be processed based on full-time enrollment for both the Fall and Spring semesters. When you receive your award letter, you will be able to notify us if you do not plan to enroll full-time and your awards will be adjusted. Also, you may indicate in the space provided on the award letter if you want to revise or decline part or all of the offer.

For additional information about how your eligibility for financial aid is determined and about the award package, click here.

You must be enrolled at least half-time (6 or more credit hours) to receive educational loan funds.  Awards are based on hours enrolled in USCA courses.  Extremely limited federal grant funds are available for students whose enrollment status is less than half-time, but most USCA students who enroll for fewer than six credit hours will not receive financial assistance.  All awards are initially based on full-time enrollment and may be adjusted if you take fewer than 12 hours by returning your award letter with the requested changes or at the time of fee payment/registration.

Return of Federal Aid and Refunds and Repayments:  Should you register for classes at USCA and withdraw prior to the first day of classes, all disbursed aid must be repaid immediately.  Should you withdraw or reduce your course load, you may be eligible to receive a refund.  However, most recipients of financial aid do not receive a refund because the funds are credited to the appropriate student aid account.  A copy of USCA's refund and repayment policy is available upon request.  If you withdraw or drop classes during a refund period, you may be required to repay the student aid funds you have received; also, should you stop attending classes and/or receive a grade of F, you may be required to repay some of the student aid funds you received.  If you have any questions concerning your course load reduction, you should see a Financial Aid Counselor for advisement prior to changing your status.  A student may not receive financial aid while in default on a federal student loan or while owing a repayment to a federal grant program. If you are delinquent on financial obligations to USCA, you will not be able to register again at this institution, transfer credits to another institution, or graduate.

Preregistered Students:  Your bill will be available on the internet at vip.sc.edu (VIP - Visual Information Processing). For use in bill processing, your financial aid must be listed as "available" or "advanceable".  "Pending" financial aid cannot be used to pay your bill.  Questions about "pending" aid can be answered by the Office of Financial Aid staff.  You must follow all instructions for bill processing provided by the USCA Business Services Office.  Should your "available" financial aid funds exceed your bill, your financial aid balance due check will be available approximately 5 business days prior to the start of classes. 

For more information on paying your fees, go to www.usca.edu/finance/billprocessing2.html on the USCA Business Services Office website.

DO NOT ASSUME THAT YOUR FEES ARE AUTOMATICALLY PAID AS A FINANCIAL AID / SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT.  YOU MUST PROCESS YOUR BILL ON VIP, PRINT AND PROCESS YOUR BILL BY MAIL, OR GO INTO THE BUSINESS SERVICES OFFICE DURING BILL PROCESSING.

Regular Registration:  Students participating in regular or late registration who are enrolling full-time may pay using their "available" or "advanceable" financial aid by following the instructions concerning their bill found on VIP.  Part-time students receiving financial aid may be required to stop by the Office of Financial Aid for disbursement approval prior to paying the bill.

Post Registration:  If your aid cannot be applied to your account during preregistration or regular registration due to a late or incomplete application, the Business Services Office will notify you when your aid becomes available, or they will mail you a check.  You must be registered for the required credit hours at the time of disbursement.

Stafford Loan Disbursement:  If you are a first-time borrower, you are required to complete loan counseling.  If you do not receive loan counseling during orientation, it will require 30-45 minutes to do this prior to loan disbursement.  You may complete loan counseling through the internet at the following address: http://mappingyourfuture.org/se.  
 

Extenuating Circumstances:  If you think we have overlooked some aspect of your financial situation that would affect our evaluation of your need, you should bring this to the attention of the Office of Financial Aid.  With proper documentation, certain extenuating circumstances can be taken into consideration.  USCA ensures the confidentiality of student records in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (known as the Buckley Amendment).  Your family financial information and the type and amount of your aid are held in confidence.  Information is released only with your written consent.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Pursuant to federal regulation, the USCA Office of Financial Aid is required to monitor the academic progress of all students who apply for federal financial aid.  Financial aid funds can be awarded only to students who are making measurable progress toward the completion of degree requirements within a reasonable period of time. Assessment of a financial aid applicant's academic progress is done at the time the new FAFSA is received by the Office of Financial Aid.

Students are considered to be making satisfactory progress only if they are meeting all of the standards set forth in this policy.  If a student fails to meet any particular standard or combination of standards, he or she will become ineligible for federal financial aid.  Please click here to view USC Aiken's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.
 

Federal Work-Study (FWS) Recipients

The Federal Work-Study Program provides USCA students with part-time, on-campus employment; community service employment; and tutoring positions with the America Reads Program. You must obtain a position and work in that position to receive payment. Job placement is handled through the USCA Career Services Office. For a listing of available jobs, students should refer to the Career Services web page at www.usca.edu/careers/students/index.asp or the Student Employment Job Vacancy Board located across from the Career Services Office in the Penland Administration Building. Once hired, students are paid semi-monthly at an hourly rate which is determined by the University, but which is not to be less than the federal minimum wage.

All students who participate in the FWS program are required to attend a mandatory, one time only, student employment training session. 

 
Transient and Study Abroad Enrollment

If you have received or anticipate the receipt of an award for study at USCA and you plan to enroll at a different USC campus on a temporary basis, you cannot use the aid awarded by USCA unless all steps necessary to complete a valid transient agreement have been completed.  USCA will only enter into an agreement with another USC System campus as the awarding institution.  Awards offered by USCA cannot be used to attend institutions outside the USC System with the exception of approved study abroad programs.  All courses taken at any other USC campus must be applicable toward your USCA degree.  You must provide our office with a copy of your approved Special Enrollment Request Form which you complete with your advisor.

To use the USCA award(s) under either of these enrollment arrangements, you must speak with a financial aid representative and obtain the paperwork to complete the study abroad or transient process.  The deadline to initiate this request for fall semester is September 1.  For spring semester, the deadline is February 1.  For summer sessions, the deadline is April 15.  It is the student's responsibility for payment of all tuition and fees for courses taken at other USC campuses.

To print a copy of the USCA Award Terms and Conditions, click here.  The document is available as an Adobe Acrobat file. In order to print the file, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not already have Acrobat Reader on your computer, you may obtain this free software from Adobe Software.