Skip to Content

My USC Sumter

Advisors

Who is eligible?  

To be eligible for the LIFE Scholarship, a student must 

  • Earn a total of 30 credit hours during the fall, spring, and summer of their freshman year (dual enrollment hours taken during the senior year of high school count towards this total) 
  • Maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average 

For annual renewal, a student must earn 30 credit hours per year, maintaining a 3.0 GPA. Once a student has completed requirements for an Associate’s degree, they must be accepted into a Bachelor’s program for the next fall semester to retain LIFE. 

Complete LIFE Scholarship Information 

LIFE Scholarship FAQ 

The maximum time limit for a student to receive financial aid is 150% of the published program length. The published program lengths for Associate Degree programs at the USC Palmetto College Campuses are 60 credit hours and Bachelor Degree programs are 120 credit hours. For a student to be placed on unsatisfactory progress due to the maximum time frame, they would either meet or exceed 90 attempted hours for Associate Degree or 180 hours for Bachelor’s Degree. All grades count as attempted hours. Please note that effective July 1, 2011, the Federal Government stipulates that any student who cannot complete their remaining courses in the 150% time frame will be ineligible at that the time the calculation is made.

  • Students seeking an Associate’s Degree, their academic record will be assessed once the student has attempted 75 credit hours to ensure that they can complete the degree within the maximum time frame limit. This assessment will occur during the fall and spring semesters. At any point during the academic year, if the sum of the two items listed below exceeds 90 credits, the student will be deemed ineligible to receive federal, state, and private educational loan funds.
    • The number of credits you have attempted (includes all credits: earned, failed, transfer hours accepted, Incompletes, and Withdrawals)
    • The number of credits in which you are currently enrolled
    • The number of remaining credits needed to complete your degree
  • Students seeking a Bachelor’s Degree, their academic record will be assessed once the student has attempted 165 credit hours to ensure that they can complete the degree within the maximum time frame limit. This assessment will occur during the fall and spring semesters. At any point during the academic year, if the sum of the two items listed below exceeds 180 credits, the student will be deemed ineligible to receive federal, state, and private educational loan funds.
    • The number of credits you have attempted (includes all credits: earned, failed, transfer hours accepted, Incompletes, and Withdrawals)
    • The number of credits in which you are currently enrolled
    • The number of remaining credits needed to complete your degree
  • If the student exceeds the maximum time frame or it is determined that the student cannot complete the degree within your maximum time frame, the student’s financial aid will be cancelled immediately, and student will need to complete the SAP appeal process.
  • For more information on maximum timeframe requirements please visit: https://sc.edu/about/system_and_campuses/palmetto_college/internal/financial_aid/finaid_process/sap/index.php
Fall Sports: 
  • Volleyball
  • Golf
  • Tennis
  • Cross Country
Winter Sports
  • Half Marathon
  • Indoor Track and Field
Spring Sports 
  • Baseball
  • Softball
  • Golf
  • Tennis
  • Outdoor Track and Field
  • Student-athletes begin coming to campus at the end of July. Official fall practices start on August 1.
  • Concerns about student-athletes (academic or otherwise) should be taken to their sport coach first. 
  • Many student-athletes attend USC Sumter with having completed dual enrollment credits. Dual enrollment credits can be used for NJCAA eligibility. 
    • Students may be eligible to graduate from USC Sumter before completing two full years. There are eligiblity exceptions and other opportunities they can pursue if they would like to stay at USC Sumter. 
  • Study hall is required for all student-athletes. The sport coach is responsible for assigning study hall requirements. 
  • Golf and tennis are two semester sports and will be required to miss classes in the fall and spring. 
  • Golf competes on Monday's and Tuesday's for every scheduled tournament. 
  • Each sport has an off-season where they are permitted to practice/train, condition, weight lift, and compete in scrimmages/friendlies.
  • Student-atheltes are held to USC's 12.5% policy. Student-atheltes are permitted to miss up to 12.5% of classes due to scheduled athletic events. 
  • Student-athletes are asked to be out of classes by 2:15pm in order to attend afternoon practices. 
  • Science Labs
  • University 101
  • Most student athletes will register for at least 12 credit hours each semester. There are rare cases when a student-athlete is permitted to register less than full time status.
  • Student-athletes are not permitted to drop under 12 credit hours without first receiving approval from their sport coach.
  • Student-athletes should be registered for face-to-face classes, if possible.
  • From non-English speaking countries should take ESL ENG 101 and ESL ENG 102.
  • Have a lot to process when moving to another country and adapting to a different academic system. If you have concerns about any of them, please contact their coach directly.
  • Need to be registered for at least 9 hours in person.
  • Student-athletes should consult their coaches with NJCAA Eligibility and Compliance questions and concerns.
  • Winter courses may be taken as a means to help toward the LIFE Scholarship eligibility requirement, NJCAA eligibility requirements (GPA and hours accumulation).
    • Winter courses may be taken at any U.S. higher education institution and count toward NJCAA eligibility requirements, regardless of transferability to USC.
    • USC Sumter winter courses are listed as "Spring" courses on the student schedule. Courses starting between semesters will not count toward full time enrollment for student-athlete eligibility requirements. 
  • Credit hours earned at other higher education institutions count toward NJCAA eligibility.
    • Transfer student-athletes should not use their USC transcripts as a means of determining their eligibility. All credits earned at a higher educaiton institution in the U.S. (regardless of transferrability) count toward eligibility requirements. 
  • How to file your taxes as F-1 or J-1 International Student
  • Immigration Status
  • Obtain a Cell Phone
    • While you are a student at USC, you will most likely need to have a cell phone. Text messaging is one of the most common forms of communication on-campus. Additionally, cell phones are good for emergency situations when you may need to call for help.
    • If you already have a cell phone that has sim card capabilities, we recommend that you set up an account through Campus Sims. The SIM cards for Campus Sims are available in the Student Success and Enrollment Office. You can pick one up when you are first arriving on-campus.
    • Another option would be to go to a cell phone provider to have them set up an account for you here in the United States. International Student Services has good relationships with the following providers:
    • If you already have a cell phone, the providers mentioned above can set up an account on your phone so that you can use your phone in the U.S. Additionally, if you wish to purchase a new phone, these providers also have many options available.

  • Computer Availability
    • If you were not able to bring your laptop from home, you may be able to purchase you laptop from stores such as:
    • USC Sumter also has computer labs on campus. The computer lab is provided by the university for course-related work of USC students, faculty, and staff. The Library is responsible for opening and closing the lab as well as keeping the printer operational.
    • For more information, rules and regulations associated with the USC Sumter Computer Labs, click here.
  • Lift your Citizenship Verification Hold
  • H-1B Work Visa

PayMyTuition

Preferred payment method for international students:

University of South Carolina has partnered with PayMyTuition for international tuition payments. With PayMyTuition, you can pay your tuition payments from any bank, in any country in any currency at better than bank exchange rates. PayMyTuition is fast, simple and cost effective.

Students: Please log into your Self-Service Carolina account, click Account Information and PayMyTuition to make your payment.

Parents/Families/Authorized Users:  Please click here to make a payment via PayMyTuition.

Additional Information on PayMyTuition:

How to make a payment – step-by-step PDFs:

PayMyTuition customer support information

Call 1.855.663.6839 (toll-free) or through one of their local country contact numbers. You can also reach PayMyTuition Support at support@paymytuition.com or through their support page.

No matter what time zone you're in, you will have a dedicated customer support team available to you through live chat, email and phone to answer any of your questions and help you make your payment.

 

©