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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.

Summer 2023 Tuition Payment Deadline:
May 24, 2023
If your bill is not paid by 5 p.m. on May 24, your summer semester classes can be cancelled.
Mail-In Deadline: May 19, 2023 (Mail-in payments should be received by this date.)

Fall 2023 Tuition Payment Deadline:
August 16, 2023
If your bill is not paid by 5 p.m. on August 16, your fall semester classes can be cancelled.
Mail-In Deadline: August 4, 2023 (Mail-in payments should be received by this date.)

 

Ways to Pay

The National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) has issued a rule requiring that all ACH web debits are validated before they are used to make a payment or receive a refund. To ensure that the University of South Carolina is following the new rule that was effective March 19, 2021, we are using prenoting to validate accounts. During the prenoting process, we will send a zero-dollar transaction file to the bank to validate if your account is active. 

If you have already made payments or received a refund prior to this date and saved the checking account as a Saved Payment Method, your account already has been validated and no further action is needed.

The validation process can take 3-5 business days. You will not be able to make payments using your checking account until your account has been validated. The prenote process will notify you if your payment method cannot be validated. The easiest way to validate your checking account ahead of time is to set up your payment profile in SSC. Please follow instructions on our SSC Tutorials page under Prenoting/Validating Your Checking Account.

Once your checking account has been validated, you can pay online, at no charge, using the name of the Saved Payment Method you used to set up the checking account.

Posting Online Payments

Self Service Carolina 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:

  • checking account must be validated before an echeck payment can be made to set up the payment plan. Click here for more information.
  • 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.

2023 Summer Semester

The payment plan option for the summer semester will be available on April 14, 2023.  The payment deadline for summer 2023 is May 24 by 5:00 pm.  If your payment plan has not been set up by that date, your classes can be cancelled.

Date Payment Plan is Set Up Amount Needed to Set Up Payment Plan Remaining Installment Dates
April 14 to May 9 25% of Tuition and Fee Balance plus $75.00 Fee May 10, June 12, July 10
May 10 to June 11 50% of the Tuition and Fee Balance plus $75.00 Fee June 12, July 10
June 12 to July 9 75% of the Tuition and Fee Balance plus $75.00 Fee July 10

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 VIP 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 SSC frequently to see if/when the 529 payment has applied.

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.

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.

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 Self Service Carolina.
  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.


Self Service Carolina 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 Self Service Carolina tutorials.

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