Financing Your Education

Accelerated MBA

Financing your education is an important aspect of moving your career forward. With this in mind, we outline the different options you may utilize to financially support this important project.

There are a variety of options that may assist you in creating a comprehensive mix of resources that come in the form of fellowships, work grants, and loans, among others. The financial awards may be offered by the Darla Moore School of Business, private or public entities, financial institutions, or agreements between the Moore School and important organizations.

Fellowships

Fellowships are highly competitive and are awarded to incoming AMBA students with outstanding academic and professional accomplishments. Selection criteria include, but are not limited to, leadership potential based on community service and extracurricular activities, standardized test scores, academic background and work experience. Each fellowship has specific selection and eligibility criteria.

There is no separate application for fellowships and all applications which comply with each particular fellowship’s requirements are automatically considered. Applicants will be notified if they are selected as a candidate for fellowships which require an additional interview. Please refer to the Admission Process page for specific dates regarding the fellowship process.

Financial Award Selection Criteria

Every year, the Moore School’s AMBA committee looks to form a strong and diverse class with students that have dedicated part of their academic and professional life to be agents of change and growth in their organizations and communities around the world. Many factors may be taken into consideration for each specific fellowship. Some of those aspects are:

• Peace Corps: The Moore School highly values the experience obtained through volunteering in diverse host countries. Exposure to the language and the type of challenges faced in such assignments, in combination with pre or post-assignment work experience, allows the applicant to offer great value to the class as well as to his or her own career progression. Please make sure to mark the corresponding Peace Corps box in the AMBA Questionnaire section of the application.

• The Golden Key International Honour Society Membership: The Moore School finds membership and participation in Golden Key to be a sign of academic excellence. Please make sure to mark the corresponding Golden Key International Honour Society Member box in the AMBA Questionnaire section of the application.

• Work Experience: Professional, post-college full-time work experience is often a valid predictor of not only AMBA candidate's academic success in the program, but also of their success from a future career perspective. Diverse backgrounds in areas such as business and operations; government and military; and NGO's among other areas are highly regarded. More importantly, the career progression of the applicants and their ability to translate and extrapolate their past experiences into solutions to day-to-day business challenges is valued.

• Internship and Community Service: A well-rounded applicant also has diverse experiences in terms of internships in their country of origin or abroad. Exposure to different cultural settings and challenges as well as the candidate’s involvement in the community (locally or globally) is highly regarded.

Each admitted applicant to the AMBA brings a wealth of diversity in terms of their cultural background, professional experience, volunteer activities, as well as other important factors such as undergraduate performance, communication skills and standardized test scores. Utilizing a holistic approach, the Moore School seeks to create an AMBA cohort of diverse, talented and high potential candidates.

University of South Carolina / Taiwan Sister-State Tuition Benefit:

This program was established through the sister-state agreement between the State of South Carolina and the Province of Taiwan. Through this agreement—valid for candidates enrolling in academic year 2011-12 and to be reviewed each year—any AMBA candidate who is a citizen of Taiwan would pay in-state tuition, significantly lowering the cost of the program. Visit tuition and fees for more specific information regarding tuition for in-state students.

To qualify, applicants must be admitted to AMBA program and must demonstrate Taiwan citizenship with a valid passport.

Loan Programs

Federal loan programs are available to graduate business students through the USC Student Financial Aid Office. Take into consideration that the AMBA program starts in the Summer term.

For details, call 803.777.8134 or visit the Student Financial Aid & Scholarship page.

Work Grants

Each academic term, there are a number of paid work assignments available. Students participating in this program are assigned to a faculty or staff member and are responsible to work 10 hours per week.

Some of these positions are opened and offered before enrollment. Other positions may become available during the first months of any given semester and are offered accordingly.

External Resources

There are a number of opportunities offered by different private, public, and non-for-profit organizations to finance your education. These may be available in the form of fellowships, scholarships, and loans, among others.

The following is not a comprehensive list; therefore, we encourage candidates to research other sources of information.