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Bursar's Office

How to Pay

We understand that tuition is a significant investment, so we have provided you with many convenient options to pay your bill.

Spring 2025 Tuition Payment Deadline:
January 7, 2025
If your bill is not paid by 5 p.m. on January 7, your spring semester classes can be cancelled.
Mail-In Deadline: December 17, 2024 (Mail-in payments should be received by this date.)

 

Ways to Pay

You can pay online, at no charge, with your checking account by entering your routing and account number.

Posting Online Payments

my.sc.edu payments are processed as they are recorded electronically.

Pay by Check Instructions

  • All major credit cards accepted.
  • Debit cards will also be assessed the 2.5% fee.
  • Opt for the eCheck payment method instead for payment from your checking account.
  • Credit cards are only accepted online and not accepted in the Bursar’s Office.

Pay by Credit Card Instructions

A payment plan is available if you are unable to pay the account balance in full. The payment plan covers tuition, housing, meal plans, Carolina Cash during optional fee period, mailbox fee and technology and program fees. Your ability to enroll in payment plans may be revoked if you fail to make payments on time. The following is required for payment plan:

  • a nonrefundable $75 administrative fee is assessed and must be paid in order to enroll in the plan
  • a down payment of 25% of the account balance must be paid to enroll in the plan. The percent down payment increases if enrollment is processed beyond the 1st installment deadline.
  • three (3) additional payments are due over the next three (3) months, on or around the 10th of the month, resulting in a total of four payments per term.
  • a late fee of $100 will be applied if payment is not made by the deadline each month
  • The payment plan does not carry over to the next semester. New enrollment is required for each semester.

Payment Plan Enrollment Instructions

Please pay attention to the mail-in cut-off date. If you pay your fees by mail, please include the student’s name and USC ID along with your check or money order made payable to the University of South Carolina for the balance due amount and mail to:

Bursar's Office
University of South Carolina
1244 Blossom Street Suite 128
Columbia, South Carolina 29208

Please review the payment deadlines for all bill payments. If your bill is not paid by the deadlines listed, your registration can be cancelled.

All plans are different, so check with your plan administrator about how funds are issued, the disbursement timeline and requirements, etc. 

Once bills are available on SSC:

  • Send a copy of your bill to your plan administrator immediately.
  • If your payment will not be received by the mail-in deadline, contact our office to make other payment arrangements. Failure to meet payment deadlines may result in cancelation of classes.
  • Please have your 529 Savings Plan or Scholarship check mailed directly to the Bursar’s Office. We encourage you to consider sending your check via express mail, or overnight priority.
  • Check my.sc.edu frequently to see if/when the 529 payment has applied.

ATTENTION SC FUTURE SCHOLARS 529 ACCOUNT HOLDERS:

If you have a 529 account with Future Scholars, you may have experienced delays with your payment arriving to USC in the past.  Future Scholars is aware of the issue, and they have provided information that will hopefully assist you in a smoother payment process going forward.  Please see the link below and information directly from their website.  If you have questions concerning the information below, please contact Future Scholars directly.

SC 529 Limits, Max Contribution, Savings Plan FAQs - Future Scholar

How do I withdraw funds from my account to pay for my child’s expenses?

Once you log in to your Future Scholar account, you can choose to withdraw funds to yourself, the beneficiary, or the school. 

The fastest way to receive funds from your account is to have the funds deposited into your personal bank account. As long as the funds you are withdrawing are being used to pay for qualified educational expenses, there will be no tax implications for the withdrawal. 

If you added a bank account to your profile more than 30 days ago, you may select yourself or the beneficiary as the Payee and select your bank account as the Delivery Method. Funds generally will be available in your bank account within 2-3 business days. From there, you can electronically submit a payment to the school or simply reimburse yourself for funds you have already expended.

If you elect to have Future Scholar send the funds directly to the school, a check will be issued and mailed to the school on your behalf.

Submit Information regarding Prepaid College Plan Funds by email to bursform@mailbox.sc.edu or by fax to 803-777-0038.

NOTE:  this is NOT for 529/College Savings Plan payments.  Check the 529/College Saving Plan link above for information regarding these payments.

If you have been awarded a scholarship from a source other than USC, please mail your award letter and/or check to:

Bursar's Office
ATTN: Scholarships
University of South Carolina
1244 Blossom St Ste 128
Columbia SC  29208

Outside scholarships can be remitted through electronic funds transfer.  Please send an email request to bursach@mailbox.sc.edu for wiring instructions.  Be sure to include the student’s name and USC ID number. (PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE THE STUDENT'S SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.)

Outside Scholarships will not appear as pending financial aid on the student's bill and will be posted as a payment directly to the student's account.  Be sure to include the student’s name and USC ID number. (PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE THE STUDENT'S SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.)

The Bursar's Office does not send out confirmation of receipt letters. Please use your cancelled check as confirmation. 

In-person payments are accepted during normal business hours at the Bursar's Office at

1244 Blossom Street Suite 128, on the corner of Blossom and Sumter Streets:

Monday thru Friday,
8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.  

We only accept cash, checks, money orders and cashier’s checks in person. Credit and debit card payments must be made online through Self Service Carolina.

Financial aid will automatically apply to your student account once you have completed all financial aid requirements. Please check the payment deadline dates for financial aid refund check distribution.

The Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships will help you with any questions related to how financial aid is awarded and/or applied. Call 803-777-8134 or visit the Financial Aid & Scholarships website.


External Scholarships

For any outside scholarships you receive in the mail, be sure to either bring the check directly to our office or mail it to us to ensure the award is posted to your account timely.

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 the ‘P’ button below to make a payment via PayMyTuition.
Pay now with 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.

Authorized Users

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prevents South Carolina from releasing student information to parents or guardians without authorized consent from the student.

By becoming an authorized user on the student account, a parent/guardian/other will be able to:

  • receive monthly emails about balance due
  • view account balance and payment history
  • view receipts and other useful information
  • receive 1098-T tax information upon request; view and print 1098-T forms
  • set up a payment plan
  • save payment methods which can only be viewed by the authorized user
  • speak with the Bursar’s Office staff about the student account

How to Set Up Authorized Users

Only the student can set up authorized users on the account:

  1. Login to my.sc.edu.
  2. Go to Account Information.
  3. Click on Payment Gateway.
  4. Click on Authorized User and follow instructions from there.

Authorized User Login

Authorized users can log in at authorized user login page.


my.sc.edu Tutorials

For additional help with a variety of Self Service Carolina transactions, including everything from how to view your account summary to how to set up a direct deposit, please view our my.sc.edu tutorials.

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