Students studying together in the Library

Information for Students

Center for Student Achievement

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Log into SSC
  • Click the Student Menu
  • Select Student Profile Tile
  • In the middle of the screen, your advisor will be listed and you can click their name to send an email.
Contact the Office of Academic Advising at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 803-643-6742.
  • You can always email your academic advisor to set up a meeting throughout the semester!
  • During Advisement Months, which are March and October, your academic advisor may reach out to you to schedule a meeting to discuss classes for the upcoming semester. Some professors may opt to have a sign-up sheet outside of their office door.
Yes. All students must meet with their academic advisor before being able to register for classes. If you do not meet with your advisor, you will have a hold preventing you from registering.
  • You must be proactive. You may work with Career Services.
  • Review your grades.
  • Open DegreeWorks. Here, you can see what classes you have left to complete for your degree program. Sometimes there are multiple choices for you to choose from to fulfill the requirement. Reviewing your degree program requirements can help you make informed decisions about what classes you would be interested in taking for the semester.
  • Write down the courses you want to take and bring the list to your advising appointment.
  • Prepare any questions about the University, resources, etc. that you would like to discuss with your advisor and be prepared to discuss academic goals.
DegreeWorks is a great resource for keeping track of which classes you have completed and which you have left to complete your degree. You will also be able to track graduation requirements, such as ICE events, Writing Intensive, and Non-western requirements. You can also see your final grades, GPA, completed credit hours and elective courses you have completed. To access it, follow these steps:
  • Log into SSC
  • Click the Student Menu
  • Select Advisement Planning
  • Click Degree Works Audit and Planner
  • The Academic Bulletin
  • DegreeWorks (For information on finding DegreeWorks, see the FAQ about how to access DegreeWorks).
  • Departmental Major Maps
The Academic Bulletins are the official documents of record concerning academic programs and regulations. Each calendar year has a unique bulletin and there are different bulletins based on your particular course of study. Please speak to your academic advisor if you have questions about the Bulletin.
It is a good idea to look through classes before your advising appointment so you have an idea of what classes you would like to take. You can look at your DegreeWorks worksheet to determine your remaining course options.
  • Log into SSC
  • Click the Student Menu
  • Select Registration
  • Select Browse Classes
  • Choose the appropriate term
  • Campus: USC Aiken
  • Subject: The subject area such as History or Computer Science
  • Course number: make sure to put an “A” in front of the course number. Ex: A101 (Leave this area blank if you would like to see all course options in the subject category.)
  • Click Search
  • DegreeWorks (For information on finding DegreeWorks, see the FAQ about how to access DegreeWorks).
  • Once in DegreeWorks, look under your ID number and name. You will see three tabs.
  • Click the tab labeled Notes

Navigate

  • Download the Navigate Student app and sign in.
  • On the home screen, you can select the button that says My Docs.
  • Select Appointment Summaries and then click the link attached to your advisor's name. The appointment summary will appear!
Log into SSC
  • Click the Student menu
  • Select Registration tile
  • Select Register for Classes
  • Choose the appropriate term

 

From here, you have several options:

  • You can manually search for each class by entering the Campus (USC Aiken), the subject (Ex: Mathematics), course number (A108), and select open sections only.
  • You can search by the CRN number. It is a 5-digit number that is associated with a specific section of a class and can be found in the course description.
  • You can select the “Shopping Cart” option and add your classes from the selection you sent to your shopping cart. See the question below on how to navigate the shopping cart.
  • Log into SSC
  • Select the Student menu
  • Click on the “Registration” tile
  • Choose the “Schedule Planner Shopping Cart”
  • Select the appropriate term
  • Hit the button that says “Create a new Plan”
  • Select the appropriate term and “USC Aiken”
  • Add courses that you and your advisor discussed by selecting the “Add Course” button. Once all courses are loaded, press done.
  • You can customize your schedule choices by adding break times or by editing your options. Note that adding breaks and limiting too many options may affect your ability to find a schedule that meets all your needs.

Instructions for editing course options:
  • Next to each class, there is a button that says “Options”
  • You can hit the button to see all of the sections of that course being offered
  • You can unselect sections based on your preference
  • Those unselected sections will not show in the generated schedules
  • Select “Generate Schedules”
  • You can click through the schedules to see which you like best. Lock a class in place by hitting the lock button
  • Once you have found a schedule that you like, press the button on the top of the screen that says “Send to Shopping Cart”
  • Go back to the Student menu
  • Select Registration and then Register for Classes
  • Select the appropriate term
  • In the search box, select the “Shopping cart” option
  • Click add all
  • Then click Submit in the bottom right corner
  • Log into SSC
  • Click the Student Menu
  • Select Student Profile
  • Above your picture/photo icon there is a black bar with the Term, your Academic Standing, Overall, Hours, Overall GPA, Registration Notices, and Holds.
  • Click the words “Registration Notices.”
  • In the drop-down menu, look under Time Ticket to see the time and date you can register for classes. Please see the Academic Calendar for the last day to add or drop classes without record for a specific term.
Textbooks and other materials needed for class can be found on the USC Aiken Bookstore website. If no textbook information is available, this information will be provided by the instructor’s course syllabus.

Please contact your academic advisor about course options and overrides.

A Student Attribution error occurs when a student tries to register for a class that has been designated for specific student populations. While students may not register for these courses on their own, in certain circumstances, they may be given an override by the academic department offering the course.

A common Student Attribution Error occurs when on-campus students try to register for online Palmetto College Course sections. Only students enrolled in our online degree-completion program may register for these sections on their own. These courses are identified by the letters “PC” in place of a section number. There is an online request form for these specific courses. Filling out the form is not a guarantee, and students should see their advisor for more course options.

  • Log into SSC
  • Click the Student tab
  • Select Student Profile
  • Under your picture/photo icon, you can choose Week at a Glance or Concise Student Schedule. Choose the print icon in the upper right-hand corner to see course details. Save as a .pdf or print the file to help you find your classroom on the first day of classes.
  • Log into SSC
  • Click the Student Menu
  • Select Registration tile
  • Select Register for Classes
  • Choose the Appropriate Term
  • In the bottom right corner, you will see a list of your classes, you can click the drop-down box and select “Drop/Delete”.
  • Hit submit
If you are struggling with your classes, there are many resources you can use!
  • USC Aiken offers free tutoring! Once you find the subject and tutor you need, you can find them in the Learning Commons in the Library. Tutors are students vetted by the departments to help other students in those subject areas. See the Tutoring Schedule.
  • If you would like online tutoring, we partner with a service called Brain Fuse. Students can have 6 free sessions and it can be found on Blackboard. 
  • The Center for Student Achievement provides Academic Coaching.  Academic Coaching is one-on-one assistance with time management, study skills, academic success strategies and more. Contact Shenika Hartley, coordinator, at 803-643-6742 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Talk to your professor about what you are struggling with. A good time to talk to your professor is during their office hours which can be found on the class syllabus. If you cannot make their office hours, emailing them to schedule an appointment is also an option.
  • Log into SSC
  • Click the Student Menu
  • Select Student Profile Tile
  • Above your picture/photo icon there is a black bar with the Term, your Academic Standing, Overall Hours, Overall GPA, Registration Notices, and Holds.
  • Log into SSC
  • Click the Financial Aid Menu
  • Select Award
  • Select Award History
  • Choose USC Aiken as the campus
  • Look under the column marked Fund to see if you have received a scholarship

Please click the following links to learn more about the scholarships:

To access your LIFE GPA and credit hours, follow the steps below.

  • Log into SSC
  • Click the Student menu
  • Select Student Profile
  • Under your photo, choose the option that says “LIFE GPA”
This is not an automated process. The online form you complete must go through multiple offices before the change is processed. Please give the systems a few days to be updated. You will receive an email from the advising office with your new academic advisor, if it needs to be changed.
All Transcripts should be sent to the USCA Admissions office.
After logging into SSC:
  • Click the Student Menu
  • Select Official Record Request
  • Select Transcript Request
  • Click Access the Parchment Transcript Ordering Site
  • Click the option that reads Transcript
  • Follow the steps on the site!
Before you begin the process, contact the institution you want to enroll in. Make sure that they offer the class you need and that you understand the steps you need to complete to be admitted. Once you have done that,
  • Speak with either your Academic Advisor or someone in the Transfer Center (in the Admissions office) to ensure that the class you are wanting to take will transfer back to USC Aiken.
  • Complete the Special Enrollment Form. Your Academic Advisor and the Department Head of your major must sign the form.
  • Return the completed form to the Transfer Center, located in Penland 101.
  • Once you complete the class, send your transcript from that institution to USC Aiken’s admissions office.
  • Log into SSC
  • Click the Student Menu
  • Select Student Profile
  • Above your picture/photo icon there is a black bar with the Term, your Academic Standing, Overall, Hours, Overall GPA, Registration Notices, and Holds
  • If next to the word hold the number is showing “0,” you have no holds on your account.
  • If there is a number next to the word “hold,” click the hyperlinked word for a drop-down menu to appear with a listing of your holds.
The Grade Forgiveness policy states that every currently enrolled, fully-admitted, degree-seeking undergraduate student earning a "D+", "D", "F", "FN," or "WF" in a USC course may take a total of two (2) undergraduate courses for a second time for Grade Forgiveness. Both the first and second grades will appear on the USC system permanent record. Still, only the second grade will be used in computing the University of South Carolina system grade point average. Steps to the grade forgiveness procedure, the complete policy, and the application for Grade Forgiveness can be found on the registrar's website.

Advisors may store notes in one of two places: 

DegreeWorks (For information on finding DegreeWorks, see the FAQ about how to access DegreeWorks).

  • Once in DegreeWorks, look under your ID number and name. You will see three tabs.
  • Click the tab labeled Notes

Navigate

  • Download the Navigate Student app and sign in.
  • On the home screen you can select the button that says My Docs.
  • Select Appointment Summaries and then click the link attached to your advisor's name. The appointment summary will appear!

Yes, if you know who you would like to be advised by, you need to contact them to ask if they are willing to serve as your advisor. If they agree to add you to their caseload, you must email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. a copy of a written agreement from the faculty member (e.g., an email). If you and the advisor are emailing, you can forward the email chain. If the conversation was in person, we will still need the written consent, therefore you will need to follow up with an email. Once your advisor has been changed, you will be notified.

If you are unsure of who you want to change to, please come to the Office of Academic Advising for guidance.