Applying for Federal Financial Aid

Students interested in federal loans and federal/state grants must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

  • Once FAFSA sends you an acknowledgement email that your FAFSA was successfully processed, please double check and compare the following information on your FAFSA versus your information on your Student MyCharleston Account:
    • SSN
    • Date of Birth
    • First Name
    • Last Name
  • If any of the aforementioned does not match on both systems it will prevent CofC from loading your FAFSA information and processing your financial aid application.  

Deadlines for Applying

Although our office accepts applications throughout the academic year, priority consideration will be given to students who have completed the FAFSA by February 1 before the start of the academic year.

Students who complete the FAFSA after June 1 for fall, October 1 for spring, or May 1 for summer school should not expect aid to be finalized before tuition bills are due (which is usually before the start of the semester). Students that do not complete the FAFSA early enough will still be eligible for aid, but should identify other ways of paying the fall tuition bill, like getting set up on the College of Charleston's payment plan through the Treasurer's Office or borrowing an alternative loan.