Cost & Aid

The university will collect a one-time fee at the beginning of the didactic year from each student.  This fee will be used to cover the cost of the following: diagnostic equipment (excluding a stethoscope), scrubs and lab uniforms, white coats, trainings and certifications (BLS, ACLS, PALS, HIPAA, OSHA), building key cards, iPads and Apple Care, and liability insurance through the duration of the program.

All students are required to complete a background check and urine drug screen prior to matriculation, prior to the clinical year, and at the request of the program if necessary.  The expenses associated with these tests are the responsibility of the student.

Many textbooks required for the program will be available online through Access Medicine at no additional charge to enrolled students. Access Medicine, UpToDate, PubMed, and Medline are a few of the available online medical resources to students enrolled in the PA Program. Students can choose to purchase a hard copy of any textbook utilized in our online resources, noting that the cost of these may not be included in the above estimate. Each student will be required to purchase the textbooks not offered through the above resources. Most will need to be purchased at the start of the program and will be used throughout its duration.

Each student will be required to purchase and maintain a functional laptop computer through the duration of the program.

Membership in the South Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants (SCAPA), the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), and the PA Program Student Leadership Association is strongly encouraged while a student is in the program.

Students may choose to attend PA conferences during their didactic or clinical years. Students will be responsible for travel, conference registration fees, lodging, and meals during the conference.

Students are responsible for arranging their own housing accommodations, transportation, and any expenses associated with travel to and from campus and to and from clinical rotation experiences. Students may be required to attend rotations at sites outside of the Charleston area and will be responsible for all expenses related to such assignments.

All PA students are required to maintain health insurance coverage for the duration of the program. It is the student’s responsibility to research and secure health insurance that meets their needs, as Charleston Southern University does not provide student health insurance.

Students must provide proof of health insurance coverage before matriculation and submit documentation of continued enrollment at the start of each academic year.  Students are personally responsible for all health and medical expenses incurred while attending CSU.

1. CREATE YOUR FSA ID

An FSA ID is a username and password that you can use to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education (ED) websites. If you do not have an FSA ID, we recommend creating your FSA ID as soon as possible —even before you’re ready to complete the FAFSA form—to avoid delays in the process. To complete an FSA ID now: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/fsaid.  Please be advised that you may have to wait up to three days before your FSA ID is available for use.

2. VISIT WWW.FAFSA.ED.GOV

To complete your FAFSA using your FSA ID.

3. USE YOUR TAX RECORDS

Complete the appropriate FAFSA Form – Please make sure to use the correct year for your tax information.  

Once the Financial Aid Office has your FAFSA and you have been accepted into the program, they will create an award letter for you and will be mailed to the address we have on file for you.

The award letter will contain your financial aid information, any missing documents you will need to provide and message specific to your awards.

• The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program—This is the largest federal student loan program. Under this program, ED is your lender rather than a bank or other financial institution. There are two types of Direct Loans that graduate and professional degree students may receive: Direct Unsubsidized Loans—Eligible students may borrow up to $20,500 per school year. Loans must be divided evenly between semesters. You will need to complete a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note and Direct Loan Entrance Interview to receive your loans.  This can be done by visiting www.studentloans.gov.  You will need your FSA ID and password to log into this site.

• Direct PLUS Loans—Eligible graduate and professional degree students who need to borrow more than the maximum unsubsidized loan amounts to meet their education costs may apply for a PLUS loan. A credit check will be performed during the application process. Loans must be divided evenly between semesters. These loans cannot exceed your cost of attendance.  You will need to complete a Direct PLUS Master Promissory Note.  This can be done by visiting www.studentloans.gov.  You will need your FSA ID and password to log into this site.

• Private Loans – Private lenders offer loans to assist in the cost of higher education minus other financial aid.  These loans are credit-based and the terms and conditions vary from lender to lender.  These loans cannot exceed your cost of attendance.
  • Sallie Mae Smart Loan – www.salliemae.com
  • Wells Fargo Private Loan – www.wellsfargo.com/student
  • Palmetto Assistance Loan – www.scstudentloan.org
  • Discover Student Loans – www.discover.com/student-loans
  • Suntrust Education Loans – www.suntrusteducation.com
  • Union Federal Savings Bank – www.unionfederalstudentloans.com

• Scholarship Searches – Unfortunately, Charleston Southern does not have scholarships available at the graduate level to assist students.  We do have a list of scholarship searches for students to visit:
  • Brokescholar.com
  • Collegeboard.com
  • Fastweb.com
  • Studentaid.ed.gov