College Costs

Tuition

Tuition Waiver for Senior Citizens

South Carolina residents age 60 or over who are not employed full time are eligible for a tuition waiver. The student must meet applicable pre-requisites. Other fees, books, and supplies are the responsibility of the student. Procedures for senior citizens are available in the Registrar’s Office.

Student Fees

• Student Activity Fee (excludes High School Dual students): $75 per semester

Includes costs associated with: Enrollment, orientation, course registration, student support services, student engagement programming, parking decals, and student liability insurance during any given term. This fee is non-refundable unless the student withdraws during the 100% refund period.

• Technology Fee: $100 per semester

Online D2L Access, Library Resources, Wi-Fi- Usage Fee, and ID Cards.

• Lab Fee (assessed for each course with a lab): 
  • $50 per course
  • $100 per course for Industrial & Health Science Programs
  • $120 per course/welding students only
• Late Fee (assessed for tuition paid after due date): $75 per semester
• Distance Learning online/hybrid distance learning fee: $21 per course

Other Non-Academic Fees

• Credit/Debit Card Convenience fee: A 2.95% service fee will be applied to all payments. The minimum service fee will be $0.25.
• Payment Plan Administrative fee (non-refundable): $30
• Payment Plan Late fee: $50 (per each late payment)
• Returned check fee: $25 (per incident plus bank fees)

Updated Listing of fees

The Spartanburg County Commission for Technical & Community Education may change tuition and fees without notice. For an updated listing of current SCC fees for full-time and part-time students, visit the SCC website Tuition and Fees page at www.sccsc.edu/financial-aid/tuition/index.php

Financial Responsibility 

Students are responsible for paying all college charges. If financial aid, scholarships, or external payments do not fully cover your balance, you must pay the remaining amount immediately. Unpaid balances will result in a financial hold, which prevents future enrollment and the release of diplomas. Delinquent accounts may be sent to a third-party collection agency or the South Carolina Department of Revenue, and you will be responsible for all associated collection costs.

Each year, all students must electronically sign the Student Financial Responsibility Agreement (SFRA) as part of enrollment. This agreement outlines your obligations to pay tuition and fees and the consequences of non-payment.

To access the SFRA, go to the SCC Student Portal, select Student Self Service, click your Username in the upper right corner, and choose Required Agreements from the drop-down menu.

Textbooks and Supplies

Students are responsible for all book and supply costs in addition to tuition and fees. Program specific fees may be required. Books and supplies are an additional fee.

Payment of Fees

Payment Due

All tuition and fees are payable before scheduled deletion dates, or if registration occurs after the deletion date, before the first day of classes. A student may not attend class until financial obligations are resolved. All equipment, library books, and other college-owned property must be returned when due. 

Online Payment Instructions

Payments can be made online through the SCC Student Portal or in one of SCC’s Business Offices. To see the amount owed, log into your Student Portal, click on Student Self-Service, then click the Student Finance link, and click the Make a Payment tab.

Payment Methods

The College accepts cash, first-party checks, e-checks, money orders, and cashier’s checks for payment of all fees. Students may also charge fees to American Express, VISA, MasterCard and Discover credit or debit cards. Credit and debit card and e-check payments may be made online via the Payment Center. A $75 late registration fee will be assessed for registration done after scheduled deletion date.

Returned Checks

The College assesses a $25 service fee per occurrence on all checks returned by the bank for any reason. The service fee is in addition to any fee charged by the bank. Checks are not sent to the bank a second time. Dishonored checks are sent to the Magistrate for collection after fourteen days. Students will be placed on restrictions from classes for non-payment. Checks will not be accepted by students who have written more than two non-sufficient checks.

Sponsorship

Tuition may be billed to a sponsoring business. This sponsorship must be supported by a letter on the company letterhead, or a company purchase order and is subject to verification by the College. Sponsorship documentation must be received in the business office for each academic term.

Tuition Payment Plan

Spartanburg Community College offers tuition-only payment plans. Any student with an outstanding balance is not eligible to register for classes until the balance is paid in full. The SCC tuition payment plan requires a $30 non-refundable handling fee in advance, along with the first payment before the scheduled deletion date or the start of class. The remaining balance is payable in two payments on dates determined according to the academic calendar and included in the agreement.

A $50 late fee will be applied to each payment not received by the due date listed on the payment plan agreement signed by the student. Payment amounts and due dates are pre-determined and are non-negotiable.

For questions regarding the payment plan, please contact the Business Office.

Note: If your outstanding debt has already been sent to a third-party collection agency, you will need to make payment arrangements directly with that agency.

Online Payment Plan Set-Up Instructions 

SCC payment plan is available online. Log in to the SCC Student Portal, click on Student Self-Service, and then select Student Finance. Click Make a Payment, then select Continue to Payment Center. Be sure to give consent to proceed to the next step. Next, select Payment Plans, click Enroll Now, and choose the correct term.

Direct Deposit for Refunds 

To receive your refund faster we encourage you to sign up for direct deposit. Failure to sign up for a direct deposit will result in a paper check being issued and mailed. It is the students’ responsibility to make sure their address is current with the Registrar’s Office.

Direct Deposit Instructions 

Log in to the SCC Student Portal and click on Student Self Service. Select Student Finance, then click Make a Payment (even if your balance shows $0.00, you must click here to access the Payment Center). Choose Continue to Payment Center, which will take you to the Student Account Home page.

Carefully read the notice, then click the Acknowledge and Accept box.

Under My Profile Set-Up, select Electronic Refund. You will be prompted to complete a two-step verification before proceeding. Once verification is complete, click Refunds at the top ribbon to return to the setup screen.

Select Set Up New Account to add a refund method and follow the instructions to enter your bank and billing information. After entering required details, click Save, then check the box to Acknowledge and Agree.

If you have multiple refund accounts set up, you may select your preferred account by clicking Update.

Note: If you added new banking information, the status will show Unverified. Once a successful refund has been processed, the status will be updated to Verified.

Please Note:

When enrolling in direct deposit, please allow five (5) business days for the direct deposit to take effect. Once enrolled, any future credit balance will automatically be deposited into your designated bank account; however, you will need to verify your account information each semester.

If you pay tuition with a debit or credit card, that portion of the refund will go back to the debit or credit card and the remaining balance will be processed via the selected refund method.

If the bank rejects a deposit due to incorrect bank information, the bank will notify SCC, and SCC will contact the student. The student will need to update their information in Self-Service or request a paper check. If a paper check is requested, it will be issued within 5 to 7 business days.

If you fail to update your direct deposit information and the refund is sent to a closed account that is in bad debt status with the financial institution, SCC is not responsible for the intercepted refund. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure their direct deposit information is accurate and up to date in Student Self Service.

Financial Aid

Students may use their financial aid award(s) (excluding Federal Work Study, FWS) to pay tuition and fees and to make purchases in Chaser’s Bark Shop or campus bookstore. Important dates will be printed in the SCC Student Planner & Handbook and the SCC Enrollment & Registration Guide. Students may verify that financial aid will pay tuition and fees by going to Self Service in MySCC Portal to view their account under “Student Financial Information.” Students should check their account balance each semester prior to the fee payment deadline. In the event there is not enough financial aid to cover tuition and fees, the student must pay the balance by the due date.

If a student has a credit balance remaining after tuition, fees, book and/or supply expenses have been paid, a refund will be issued to the student. Any refund issued by check will be mailed to the address on record. It is the students’ responsibility to ensure their address is current with SCC’s Records Office. For convenience, quick access and safety, enroll in direct deposit through Student Self-Service in the SCC Student Portal.

Student Refund / Term Withdrawal / Federal Return of Funds

It is the policy of Spartanburg Community College that students or sponsoring agencies/programs receive a fair and equitable refund of tuition charges if a student withdraws from a term or a full-time student reduces the number of credit hours to below 12 credit hours. Federal financial aid recipients are defined as those students who receive Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) and Federal Direct Loans. Institutional costs include tuition, fees and charges made in the bookstore using federal financial aid

I. Official Withdrawal

Official term withdrawal is defined as a student’s formal notification of his or her intent to withdraw from all courses for a term. A student’s withdrawal date is defined as the actual date the student submits information to Registrar’s Office to drop a course or courses. To officially withdraw from a course or courses, a student must provide official notice to the Registrar’s Office electronically or in person.

A federal financial aid recipient who does not officially withdraw from a term is considered to be withdrawn if he or she does not complete all days he or she is scheduled to complete within a payment period or abandons all courses. The last day of academic attendance or attendance at an academically-related activity will be used for calculating the amount of aid to be returned to the federal government based on Section III, and the student will not be eligible for a refund based on the College’s refund policy as outlined in Section II.

A student is not considered to be withdrawn from a term if at the time the student drops the last class in a term he or she submits written confirmation stating he or she will attend a later start term in the same payment period (semester).

II. College Refund Policy

To receive a refund of tuition and eligible fee charges, a student must officially withdraw from the term as outlined in Section I or a full-time student must reduce the number of credit hours to below 12 credit hours during the refund period or a part-time student must reduce the number of credit hours during the refund period.

The refund percent is based on the date the Registrar’s Office receives notification from the student. Tuition and eligible fee charges for a term will be refunded at the following rate:

The number of calendar days used to calculate refunds will be pro-rated for terms that vary in length from the traditional term, including Summer.

If the calculated refund dates fall on a day that the college is closed, the date will be moved forward to the next day the college is open.

A federal financial aid recipient who withdraws from a term and is eligible to receive a refund will have the refund amount applied toward the outstanding debt the student owes the College based on the return of fund procedure outlined in Section III.

Non-federal financial aid recipients who withdraw from a term will have the refund amount returned to the sponsoring agencies/programs in the following priority not to exceed the awarded amount:

1. Private (alternative loans)
2. Sponsorships
3. Tuition Waivers
4. SCC Scholarships
5. Outside or Community Scholarships
6. LIFE Scholarship
7. S.C. Need Based Grant
8. Other Aid or Assistance
9. Lottery Tuition Assistance

Financial aid recipients who are eligible at the time of disbursement and later reduce the number of credit hours during the refund period will receive a tuition refund. A student’s satisfactory academic progress and future eligibility for financial aid programs will be based on the number of credit hours enrolled at the time of disbursement.

III. Return of Federal Financial Aid

A student’s federal financial aid eligibility must be recalculated for students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60 percent of a term. A student enrolled in at least one class during the full term will have the recalculation for all classes based on the date for the full term.

The recalculation of eligibility is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following formula:

Federal financial aid must be returned to the federal government based on the percent of unearned aid using the following formula:

Aid to be returned = (100% - percent of aid earned) X the amount of federal financial aid disbursed

The amount of aid to be returned is the responsibility of the College and the student. However, the student will be responsible for repaying the College for the amount that the College was required to return on his or her behalf less any refund that the student is eligible for under Section II. Therefore, a student who does not complete at least 60 percent of a term will owe a repayment to the College and/or the federal government for the amount of unearned federal financial aid.

A student who owes the College may not be permitted to register for a subsequent term  until the debt is paid. A student who owes the federal government may be reported to the U.S. Department of Education and be required to provide documentation of a satisfactory payment arrangement before federal or state financial aid eligibility is restored.