Financial Aid FAQs

The official in-state and out-of-state costs of attendance can be viewed here.

Yes! We're proud to offer numerous types of financial aid. Many SC State applicants choose to use student loans, grants, scholarships, or student employment to help pay their tuition and fees. You can learn more about each on our Types of Aid page.

Regardless of what type of aid you're applying for, you should start by filling out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. On the FAFSA form, be sure to note that you plan to attend SC State and include our Title IV School Code, 003446.

Verification is a process initiated by the U.S. Department of Education that requires the Office of Financial Aid to validate all of the information on a student’s FAFSA. This will require additional forms to be completed and a copy of the student and parent’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax transcript to be supplied if the parent and/or student has not used the IRS Data Retrieval tool located in the FAFSA. Students are selected randomly by the Department of Education and up to 85 percent of a school’s population can be selected for this process

Please remember that, as stated above, students are selected for verification randomly. If you are chosen for verification, it does not mean that made a mistake, are under suspicion, or won't receive your aid.

Student loans are aid packages that the federal government lends to students while they are enrolled in school to help them pay their tuition and cover other costs. Loans must be repaid once the student has stopped attending at least 6 credit hours, graduated, and/or exhausted their grace period, which may vary based on the individual. The amount of student loans a student can receive is directly determined by their academic and dependency status.

Pell grants are applied towards a student’s tuition, fees, and if the student resides on campus, room and board. The U.S. Department of Education determines one’s eligibility to receive a Pell grant by using the information provided on a student’s FAFSA. A Pell grant typically does not need to be paid back, unless you drop out, change your enrollment status, or accept other aid that lowers your need for the grant. 

A Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG) is an allocation of federal funds made available to a university for disbursement to a student identified as having significant financial need. The university determines whether an individual has significant financial needs based on a student’s inability to pay for the individual’s tuition, fees, and room and board. SEOG is applied to assist the student in paying for their educational costs.

The South Carolina Need-Based Grant is designed to provide additional financial support to South Carolina’s neediest students. The financial aid office administers this grant and the students must have a FAFSA on file. The maximum funds awarded for the current academic year is $2,500. It is awarded to full-time students and is applied towards tuition and fees as well as room and board.

Scholarships and abatements awarded by the school are monies to assist students in paying tuition, fees, and room and board for those who live on campus. SC State University scholarships are awarded after federal and state grants have been applied.

The university’s commitment to student scholarship is to award as much financial aid possible after all state and federal grant monies have been applied to cover tuition, fees, and room and board. Scholarship monies awarded by the university are subject to availability and may be adjusted at the
discretion of the university.

The excess funding from federal loans is only refundable to the borrower. A scholarship awarded by SC State University is not refundable, and the student’s account will be adjusted to $0 if his or her application generates a credit.

Scholarships awarded from other agencies (businesses, churches, organizations, etc.) reserve the right to advise how scholarships are designated. Some scholarships specify how funds are to be disbursed and what should be done with any excess after tuition and fees have been paid in full. For example, some scholarships specify that the funding is only to be used toward books or tuition and fees. In addition, some scholarships require that any excess funds after tuition and fees have been fully covered be returned. 

Refunds are generated when the amount of refundable aid on a student’s account is more than his or her charges. If this happens, refunds are generated within 14 days of the credit being on a student’s account.

A student is given the option of signing up for direct deposit via Bulldog Connection. However, direct deposit can be canceled at any time, and if it is not available, a check will be mailed to the address on file for the student

In years past, some students were refunded the remaining scholarship dollars after tuition, fees, and room and board were covered. In keeping compliant with federal standards and industry best practices, the university will only award scholarship monies to assist a student with tuition, fees, and room and board, if all are not fully covered once federal and state grants have been applied. 

The ability to receive federal work study funds is assessed by the Office of Financial Aid, according to federal guidelines. Once the student receives work study placement, documentation is forwarded to the Office of Human Resources where the student is required to complete all necessary employment documents. The student must then adhere to university payroll guidelines to ensure he or she receives pay.