Health & Immunization Forms
All students must have an Immunization Form on file with the University of South Carolina's Center for Health & Well-Being. New USC students will need to submit the Immunization Form via MyHealthSpace by July 1. If your form has not been received and processed at the time that 1L students are registered for classes the week of July 15, there will be a health center hold on your record and you will not be able to access your preliminary class schedule! It can take 7–10 days for the University to process your immunization form, so please get it in as soon as possible. Incoming first-year law students who attended USC as undergraduates within the last five years may already have this form on file and can call the Immunization Office at 803-777-9511 or login to their MyHealthSpace account to check to see if a new form will be required. Please note that the Office of Admissions is unable to communicate the status of your Immunization Record submission.
Official Transcript Requirement
American Bar Association accreditation standards require that we have an official final transcript showing award of your undergraduate degree on file for each entering student. This document must be sent directly to the School of Law from the Registrar’s Office at your undergraduate institution. Your official final transcript may either be submitted as a paper or electronic version. You may submit a paper copy of an official transcript, or a certified electronic transcript, coming directly from the Registrar's Office or issuing agency. Unofficial transcripts, transcripts issued or emailed to the student, and transcripts that do not show the award of your degree will not satisfy this requirement. The transcript you submitted to LSAC for your CAS report does not satisfy this requirement if it did not denote final degree conferral. If we do not receive your official transcript by July 1, there will be a transcript hold on your record and you will not be able to access your schedule. If your transcript still has not been received by October 15 of your 1L year, you may complete the fall semester, but a registration hold will be placed on your account, and you will not be permitted to register for spring classes.
Paper copies of transcripts should be mailed to:
Joseph F. Rice School of Law
University of South Carolina
Admissions Office
1525 Senate Street, Suite 129
Columbia SC 29208
Electronic transcripts should be emailed to the School of Law Admissions Office at usclaw@law.sc.edu. You can monitor whether or not we have received your final transcript by logging in to the Application Status Portal, and ensuring that the "Final Transcript" box has been checked off.
Yes. You are the only one who can release a copy of your transcript to us. We cannot access it or request it from the University Registrar’s Office.
Yes. The official transcripts must be sent through your school Registrar or an official third-party transcript service: National Student Clearinghouse, Credentials Solutions, Scrip-Safe, or Parchment.
No. If the official transcript sent to LSAC included your degree and date of degree conferral, you will not be required to submit an additional transcript from your degree granting school.
Citizenship Verification
The state of South Carolina requires students attending a public university in the state to provide confirmation that they are a citizen or national of the United States or an alien lawfully present in the United States. The Citizenship Verification Form must be completed by July 1.
Questions about the process may be directed to the Office of the University Registrar at 803-777-5555.
The Residency Certification Process
If you identified yourself as a resident on your admissions application, you must complete the South Carolina Residency Certification process, even if you attended South Carolina as an undergraduate and were classified as an in-state student. Log in to Self Service Carolina, scroll down to the tab for Newly Admitted Students, and click on Access South Carolina Residency Information for forms and instructions. Please make sure to complete this process prior to July 1.
If you identified yourself on your application for admission as a South Carolina resident and have not completed the Residency Certification process and been approved for in-state status at the time tuition bills are generated in July, you will be billed at the full non-resident tuition rate.
Questions about the process may be directed to the Office of the University Registrar at 803-777-5555.
Enrollment Certification Letters
If you need a letter verifying your intention to enroll in August, please contact the Admissions Office at usclaw@law.sc.edu. We can provide you with a letter stating that you have been offered admission, have paid the required deposit, and are expected to enroll as a full-time student at the School of Law. This letter is sufficient 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.
You can request an official enrollment certification letter from the University Registrar if one is needed for student loan deferrals or other programs for which official enrollment certification is required. Neither the law school Registrar's Office nor the Admissions Office can issue an enrollment certification for student loan deferrals.
Housing
Columbia is a wonderful and welcome place to call home. Because of their close proximity to the law school, many of our law students choose to live in the residential areas of Shandon, Rosewood, Heathwood, West Columbia, Cayce, University Hill, Earlewood, Forest Acres, or in the Vista. Various rental properties (duplexes, homes, condos, apartments) can be found on trusted sites like Zillow and Trulia. Searches in the 29201, 29203 and 29205 areas can often yield promising results.
If you are interested in living in an apartment-style community with traditional amenities, the Office of Admissions has a list of area housing options that helps that provides a number of suggestions within close proximity to the law school. These properties attract graduate students and young professionals, lending themselves to the type of quiet environment that is conducive to law students and their studies.
Parking
Incoming students can purchase parking permits online or at the University's Office of Parking & Transportation Services. Many law students choose to purchase permits for either the Pendleton or Senate street garage. There are also a number of metered parking spots, managed by the City of Columbia, within close walking distance to the law school's building.