Paying Tuition with Financial Aid

If you are receiving financial aid, and all of your financial aid documents are complete, most of your aid will be automatically disbursed to your account for payment of on-campus charges. If the charges are greater than the financial aid, the remaining balance can be paid on CougarTrail. If the financial aid is greater than the charges, an excess aid check will be produced to refund the remaining financial aid to the student.

	Payment Plan
	The College of Charleston offers an installment payment plan, which allows the student/parent to pay tuition, fees, room, and board in four equal installments per semester. Information about this option may be obtained by visiting CougarTrail or contacting the Office of the Treasurer (843) 953-5572. Students with financial aid can use this to pay a remaining balance, or cover part of tuition while completing financial aid documents.
	Excess Aid Deposits
	Excess financial assistance is returned to the student in the form of an excess aid deposit after the balance due has been deducted. The deposits are generally available a few days prior to the first day of classes each term. In order to receive your check you must: 1. Review the estimated financial aid listed on your billing statement to ensure that the aid exceeds tuition, fees, housing cost, meal plans and any other charges. 2. Check CougarTrail to ensure that you have submitted all required documents to the Office of Financial Assistance & Veterans Affairs. 3. Set-up automatic deposit via CougarTrail. To set up automatic deposit, you should select the "Bank Account Information" from the Treasurer menu and then complete the required fields. Automatic deposit could take up to 10 days to establish, so complete this long before school starts. Students that do not set up automatic deposit will have checks mailed to the student's permanent address.
	Drop/Add
	Note: If you plan to DROP OR ADD a course during the drop/add period, email a financial aid counselor immediately at financialaid@cofc.edu. Please include your name, your College of Charleston ID number, and the number of hours you plan to be enrolled for us to update your financial aid information.
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