General Information

A limited amount of financial aid is available through the Financial Aid Office and through some academic departments for the summer session. Contact your department directly for more information about any financing they may offer for summer enrollment.

Applying for Summer Financial Aid

To qualify, you must:

  • Meet all general financial aid eligibility requirements.
  • Be enrolled in classes at least half-time (6 units) to receive most loans and/or grants. (Federal Work-Study, however, does not require enrollment in classes.)
  • Adhere to the following deadlines:
    • Apply at least six (6) weeks before the start of your earliest summer class.
    • Allow up to three (3) weeks to process a Summer Loan Request Form.

Early application allows us to determine your eligibility for loans before the end of the summer session Drop/Add period.

Summer Costs

The cost of attendance for a summer semester is based on the number of units for which the student enrolls. The per-unit tuition rate for summer 2012 is $1,420. The monthly allowance for room and board, transportation, and personal expenses is $1,342 ($336 per week). The total allowance for indirect expenses varies based on the length of the student’s summer enrollment.

Receiving Your Funds

Be sure to follow all instructions provided with your Financial Aid Summary Letter.

Summer financial aid will be posted to your student account no sooner than a week before your earliest summer class. Loans will be disbursed after you start classes.

IMPORTANT: Tuition and fees for summer classes are assessed at the time of registration and due when billed, regardless of the class start date(s). To avoid late fees, you may be required to pay any outstanding balance on your student account before your financial aid funds can be posted. If you have applied for financial aid and need to defer your billing balance until financial aid funds are available, please contact the financial aid office at www.usc.edu/contactfao. Please visit the Student Financial Services website for more information on fee settlement.

Summer Loans

The following loan programs may be available to eligible students who enroll in the USC summer session at least half-time (6 units) and follow the application instructions below.

If your loan is based on your plans to enroll in two (2) summer sessions and you do not complete both sessions or your total enrollment drops to less than half-time for the entire summer, your loan could be cancelled.

For document submission instructions, please visit www.usc.edu/contactfao. Your summer loan application will be reflected online in your 2011-2012 Document Status.

Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans

  • Submit a completed Summer Loan Request Form (SLRF) to the Financial Aid Office.
  • Please Note: Stafford Loans are available only on a limited basis for summer study. The following students may have some limited eligibility:
    • students who have not already borrowed their full 2011-12 academic year loan;
    • students who will graduate at the end of the summer 2012 or fall 2012 semesters;
    • students who will advance from freshman to sophomore status at the end of Spring 2012 semester; and,
    • students who will advance from sophomore to junior status at the end of the Spring 2012 semester

Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan

Private Financing

Loan Advisory: Prior to applying for private loans, students should exhaust all Federal Title IV assistance available, including Federal Pell Grants, the Federal Direct Stafford Loan and the Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan. The repayment terms of federal loan programs may be more favorable than those for private loans.

Private student loans cannot be included in Federal Direct Consolidation Loans; are not eligible for Federal Income-Based Repayment Plans; and are not eligible for Federal Economic Hardship Deferments.

  • Available for students enrolled less than half-time to full-time.
  • Submit a completed Summer Loan Request Form (SLRF) to the Financial Aid Office.
  • Contact your lender directly to apply for the loan.

Summer federal work-study

Continuing students can earn up to $3,500 through Summer Federal Work-Study. You are not required to be enrolled in summer classes. Funds are awarded to students with the greatest financial need who:

  • Intend to enroll at least half-time at USC for the fall 2012 semester;
  • Meet all general eligibility requirements for financial aid, including Satisfactory Academic Progress;
  • Demonstrate financial need for both the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 academic years;
  • Are on-time applicants for 2012-2013 financial aid; and
  • Submit a Summer Federal Work-Study Application (completed by both you and your prospective USC employer) to the Financial Aid Office by March 30, 2012.

For document submission instructions, please visit www.usc.edu/contactfao.

Potential Effect on Your Future Financial Aid Eligibility

The federal government requires that summer Federal Work-Study earnings—minus any employment-related expenses—be considered when determining your financial aid eligibility for the following academic year. As a result, your eligibility for other financial aid programs may be reduced.

summer cal grant

Continuing undergraduate students who receive Cal Grant funds may request that a portion of their funds be used for the summer session. To be considered for summer funds, and for more information, please call the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) at 888-CA-GRANT (888-244-7268).

Please note: When calculating your overall Cal Grant eligibility, the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) considers the summer session a full semester of eligibility. This means your eligibility for the regular academic year will be reduced by an equivalent amount, so it is in your best interest to maximize your summer session unit count. Twelve (12) units are required for the full-time grant, six for the half-time grant.

summer pell grant

To receive a full-time Federal Pell Grant payment, you must enroll at USC for 12 summer units. Less than full-time enrollment may qualify you for a prorated Pell Grant.  Students must also have completed 24 units in prior academic year to be eligible for summer Pell Grant.

Applicants for a summer-session Federal Pell Grant must:

For document submission instructions, please visit www.usc.edu/contactfao.

 

©2012 University of Southern California