Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS COC) Disclosure Statement

The University of South Carolina Columbia is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.  The regional Palmetto College campuses (Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter, and Union) are branch campuses of the University of South Carolina Columbia; the branch campuses’ accreditation is dependent on the continued accreditation of the University of South Carolina Columbia. Questions about the accreditation of the University of South Carolina Columbia may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, by calling 404-679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org). 

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Disclosure Statement

The University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy’s Doctor of Pharmacy program has been granted accredited status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 135 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 4100, Chicago, IL 60603-4810, (312)664-3575; FAX (866)228-2631, web site. In addition to the ACPE accreditation, the college has received accreditations from the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) and America’s Poison Centers. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education has also approved the Pharm.D. program

Accreditation Complaint Procedures

Issues, questions, comments or complaints pertaining to accreditation should be directed to the Senior Associate Dean, who will maintain a file of all complaints. Complaints may also be directly submitted to the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).   Individuals wishing to officially express concern with the College’s adherence with the standards should utilize ACPE’s  “Complaint Form” .  The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education has offices at 190 South LaSalle Street, Suite 3000, Chicago, IL. 60603-4810. They may be contacted by phone at (312)664-3575, by fax at (866) 228-2631, via their web site, and via email .

Notification of Student Rights Under FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These include the following:

1. The right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access. 
   1. Students should submit written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect to the registrar, dean, academic department head, or other appropriate official.
   2. The University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
   3. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request amendment of student education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
   1. Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.
   2. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of the right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student with notification of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. The University of South Carolina will disclose information from a student’s education records only with the written consent of the student, except:
   1. to school officials with legitimate educational interests (A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the University has contracted [such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent]; a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting other school officials in performing their tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill a professional responsibility.)
   2. to officials of other institutions in which the student seeks or intends to enroll provided that the student has previously requested a release of the record
   3. to authorized representatives of the U.S. Department of Education, the comptroller general of the United States, state educational authorities, organizations conducting studies for or on behalf of the University, and accrediting organizations
   4. in connection with a student’s application for, and receipt of, financial aid
   5. to comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena
   6. to parents of dependent students as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, Section 152
   7. to appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency
   8. to the alleged victim of any crime of violence of the results of any disciplinary proceedings conducted by the University.

The University of South Carolina has designated the following items as directory information: a student’s name; electronic mail address; local and permanent mailing addresses and telephone numbers; semesters of attendance; enrollment status (full- or part-time); date of admission; date of graduation; school; major and minor fields of study; whether or not currently enrolled; classification (freshman, etc.); type of degree being pursued; degrees; honors; and awards received (including scholarships and fellowships); weight and height of members of athletic teams; and whether the student has participated in officially recognized activities and sports sponsored by the University.

The University may disclose any of these items without prior written consent, unless the student has submitted a written request to the Office of the University Registrar not to release directory information. Requests will be processed within 24 hours after receipt. Telephone directories are published during the summer; students eligible to enroll for the upcoming fall term will be listed in the printed directory unless the Office of the University Registrar is notified by May 31. The electronic directory is updated each weekend; requests for nondisclosure will be honored with the next update after the request is processed by the staff of the office of the University registrar.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University of South Carolina to comply with the requirements of FERPA.  The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.
Questions concerning this law and the University’s procedures for release of academic information may be directed to the Office of the University Registrar at 803-777-5555.