Admitted Students

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Welcome to the Law Class of 2014!

Congratulations once again on your admission to the University of South Carolina School of Law, and a very warm welcome to the Carolina Law community. We'll be contacting you periodically throughout the summer to bring you information to make your transition to the Law School as smooth as possible. Please be very sure that we have up-to-date contact information so that you don't miss anything!

Some Dates and Deadlines

• July 1: Health and Immunization Forms are due to the Thompson Student Health Center.
• July 1: University Citizenship Verification forms are due to the University (not Law School) Registrar's Office.
• July 20: Tuition bills and payment schedules will be available on VIP.
• July 20: Preliminary class schedules will be available. NOTE: Section assignments are preliminary at this point! DO NOT buy books until your schedule is final on August 5.
• August 5: Final class schedules are released and students may purchase books.
• August 10: Law School Handbook quiz completed (more information will be e-mailed to you about this over the summer)
• August 16: An official final transcript showing award of your undergraduate degree must be received by the Law School before orientation.
• August 16: Orientation begins!

Keeping in Touch

Over the summer, we will be sending you a series of e-mails with information about information technology and computer requirements, preparing for your first class, your course schedule, and other matters of interest. We will use the e-mail address you provided on your application for admission for our mailings, but you should be aware that other offices at the University will begin using your USC e-mail address over the summer. Once you enroll, all University notices will go to your sc.edu e-mail, so if you don't plan to check it regularly, set up a rule to forward to your preferred e-mail address! In the case of postal mailings, we will use the address listed on your application as valid on the date of the mailing. If you change your e-mail or postal mailing address, be sure to let us know.

The Law School Registration Process

The Law School Registrar's Office has posted a helpful timeline on their website to help you understand the registration, section assignment, and billing process. Go to http://www.law.sc.edu/registrar/1l_information.shtml.

Welcome to VIP (or, How To Get Everything Done at USC)

VIP (Visual Information Processing) is the University's intranet, providing students, faculty, and staff with secure, personal access to University data. University bills, your e-mail account, financial aid documents, class schedules, grades, and a whole host of other services are accessed through VIP. As a first-time user, you will need to set your VIP PIN before you can log on. Go to https://vip.sc.edu/ and get started by clicking on "New Student User." Under First-Time VIP User, click "Set Your PIN." For now, your social security number is your USC identification number. Your PIN will be sent to the e-mail address you provided on your application for admission. If that e-mail address has changed since we entered your information on the University's system and you do not receive your PIN, or if you have problems setting your PIN, please call the Law School Registrar's Office at 803.777.5221 for assistance.

Once you're on VIP, you can activate your University e-mail account via the Technology link. Instructions for first-time users of the USC e-mail system can be found at http://www.sc.edu/studentemail/ . Helpful FAQs are available at http://www.sc.edu/studentemail/faq.shtml. On VIP, you can access your University e-mail address by clicking on the "Personal" link on the left menu bar, and select "Online Directory Data and Alias."

If you have technology questions, links to the Law School IT staff can be found at http://www.law.sc.edu/it/staff.shtml. You'll be hearing later this summer from Ernest Pringle, the Law School's assistant dean for information technology, about laptop requirements for incoming law students.

Citizenship Verification Process

Effective January 1, 2009, all USC students must present proof of citizenship or lawful presence in the U.S. before enrolling. This policy (ACAF 3.40) has been adopted by the University in order to comply with section 59-101-430 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, as amended, which requires that lawful presence in the United States is verified before enrollment at any public institution of higher education. To access the Citizenship Verification Form and applicable instructions, please go to http://registrar.sc.edu/html/citizenshipverification.stm. Questions should be directed to the Office of the University Registrar, 803.777.5555.

The Residency Process

Law students seeking in-state status for tuition purposes must complete the South Carolina Residency Certification process. Go to http://www.sc.edu/bursar/residency.shtml for forms and instructions. If you identified yourself on your application for admission as a South Carolina resident and have not completed the Residency Certification process at the time that 1L students are registered on July 20, there will be a "hold" on your record and you will not be able to obtain a preliminary class schedule.

Health Forms and Student Health Insurance

All students must have an Immunization Form on file with the Thompson Student Health Center. New USC students will need to submit the form found at http://www.sa.sc.edu/shs/form/new_imm_form.pdf by July 1. Incoming first-year law students who attended USC as an undergraduate within the last five years may already have this form on file and can call the Immunization Office at 803.777.3174 to check to see if a new form will be required.

Graduate and professional school students are required to have health insurance. Students can choose the University-sponsored group plan or demonstrate that they are covered by another plan. For information on your options, go to http://www.sa.sc.edu/shs/tshc/insurance.shtml. The University's plan is sponsored by Pearce & Pearce; visit their website at https://www.pearceandpearce.com/PearceSite/Schools/SC/USC/. Information and premiums for the 2011-2012 academic year will be posted during the summer.

Financial Aid

If you are applying for financial aid, including subsidized or unsubsidized Direct Stafford Student Loans, Direct GradPlus Loans, or private loans, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is available on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Designate the University of South Carolina as a recipient of your Student Aid Report (SAR). The FAFSA Code for USC is 003448. If you have already submitted your FAFSA, you can check the status of your financial aid application on VIP. Be sure that you select a lender on VIP. If you are selected for Federal Verification, the Financial Aid Office will notify you of any additional documentation you need to submit via an e-mail to your USC e-mail account. USC's Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships has a helpful website with a financial aid checklist for incoming law students at http://www.sc.edu/financialaid/gradstudent_checklist.html.

If you were awarded a scholarship and do not yet see it posted on VIP, please do not worry. Individual scholarships have to be designated as coming from particular funds, and because these funds have different criteria, it may take several weeks after the confirmation deposit deadline to get each student's award allocated to the right fund. Then, the Financial Aid Office has to post the awards, and only then can the Bursar's Office apply the award to your student account. You'll be happy to know that the University is transitioning to a new student information system that will make this all work seamlessly in future years, but for now, please be patient.

Parking (Remember, Walking Is Good For You)

Incoming students can purchase parking permits on VIP, or at the University's Office of Parking Services in the Pendleton Street Garage, at the corner of Pickens and Pendleton Streets, Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 5:00. The parking services website with rules, maps, and permit prices is at http://www.sc.edu/vmps/park.html.

A Special Note for Law Students Who Were USC Undergrads

If you have any outstanding parking fines or other financial obligations to the University, now is the time to clear those up! The Bursar's Office will put a "hold" on your law school registration if you owe money to the University.

Official Transcript Requirement

American Bar Association accreditation standards require that we have on file before registration in August an official final transcript showing award of your undergraduate degree, sent directly to us from the Registrar's Office at your undergraduate institution. Unofficial transcripts, or transcripts issued directly to the student, do not satisfy this requirement. The copy of your transcript included with your LSAT/LSDAS report is a photocopy and does not satisfy this requirement. If for any reason you are unable to submit a transcript (if, for example, you are finishing your degree requirements in summer school and will not receive a degree until later in the year) please call Dean Palmer at 803.777.6605 to explain the circumstances.

Official final transcripts should be mailed to:
Office of Admissions
University of South Carolina School of Law
701 South Main Street
Columbia SC 29208

You may hand-deliver a copy of your official final transcript only if it comes to us in a sealed envelope from your Registrar’s Office. Typically a Registrar’s Office will stamp or sign across the seal to verify that the transcript was provided to you unopened.

Enrollment Certification Letters

If you need a letter verifying your intention to enroll in August, please contact the Admissions Office at 803.777.6605. We can provide you with a letter stating that you have been offered admission, have paid all required deposits, and are expected to enroll as a full-time student in the School of Law on August 16, 2011. For most purposes, such as continuing coverage under a parent's health insurance policy or to document enrollment for an outside scholarship, this letter is sufficient. For student loan deferrals or other programs for which enrollment certification is required, you will need to wait until you actually enroll on August 16, and then you can access an enrollment certificate on VIP under the "Academics" menu.

Orientation

Orientation for incoming first-year students will be held on Tuesday, August 16 and Wednesday, August 17. Attendance at orientation is required. Students who do not sign in at orientation on August 16 risk losing their place in the class and any financial aid commitment. Watch for an orientation schedule in future mailings!

Academic Calendar (or, When Do I Get A Break?!)

Please visit the Academic Calendar 2011-2012.