For information, call:
803-641-3741
or email us at:
info@aikenlearning.org


Recent News


Recent news below. Read All The News here.

Schedule Change

Posted: 12:02 PM 3/18/2024
The last class of the course Man's Fastest Friend: A History of Greyhounds and Humans will now be held starting at 9:30 AM, Friday, March 22, in B&E 140. The University was closed on March 15 due to watermain break, necessitating a re-schedule.

Course Canceled

Posted: 10:53 AM 3/18/2024
The course How Do I Use One Drive?, scheduled to begin March 20, has been canceled due to equipment issues.

Class Session Added

Posted: 12:01 PM 3/13/2024
A fifth session has been added to the class The Manhattan Project and Origin of the DOE Complex. The extra class session will meet on April 2 at the usual time (12:30 PM) and location (B&E 144).

FAQ

(Frequently Asked Questions)

This is the frequently asked questions (FAQ*) page of the Center for Lifelong Learning at the University of South Carolina at Aiken. The items on this page relate to the curriculum and activities of the Center, especially questions that prospective members may have. If you have other questions, please call us at 803-641-3741 or email us at info@aikenlearning.org.

If you click on a question and do not see the answer pop up, you may have to scroll up or down to see the answer.

Any adult who enjoys continuing to learn may take classes. Our students are mostly retired since our classes are taught during the daytime hours.

We post on the website the class schedule for the fall semester in early August and for the spring semester in early December. Usually the catalog of all courses is available on the website at about the same time. The printed catalog is mailed to those on our catalog mailing list about then as well.

We mail our printed catalog two times a year, about four to six weeks before a semester begins. To get on our mailing list, send your name, street address, city, state, and zip code to info@aikenlearning.org or fill out our online sign-up form. You may also download a copy of the catalog by clicking here.

There is a membership fee of $35 per semester. You must be a member to register for classes. There is an additional fee for each course that ranges from $5 to $28 based on the type of course and the number of times the class meets. You may review the additional fee in the list of courses.

Classes for fall semester start in September and those for spring semester in January. You may get the details at the Registration Information webpage.

Just let us know! We are always looking for new volunteers interested in helping others to learn. You may let us know by emailing us. If you are registering for a course, there is also a place on the form to indicate you would like to volunteer.

The two organizations saw opportunities for increased outreach, improved efficiency of operations, and better use of resources to improve the variety of courses to offer to Aiken area adults.

Yes. The Academy taught courses on history, art, well being, music, cooking, literature, and others. These will be continued as General Interest courses by the Center. McGrath taught courses in the use of personal technology such as computers and smartphones. These will be continued as Technology courses.

Yes. The Academy previously used a flat membership fee per semester and McGrath charged for each course. The new fee structure will combine those approaches. A membership fee of $35.00 per semester will be charged to take any course. Each course will have an additional fee based on the type of course and number of times the class meets.

Following an agreement signed on January 11, 2024, the Center is now a division of the Office of External Programs of the University. The day-to-day activities of the Center are run by an Advisory Board staffed by volunteers. The Advisory Board works closely with University personnel to ensure the smooth running of the program. The Center abides by all University policies and procedures.

The University provides support, administrative services, and physical facilities to the Center. The Center interfaces directly with the USC Aiken Office of External Programs.

Under certain circumstances, USC Aiken classes may be free of tuition for those at least 60 years old. However, while the Center is a division of the USC Aiken Office of External Programs, it is not a part of the state-supported university and our classes are not covered by that policy.

* The term FAQ has a long history on the Internet. If you are not familiar with it, you can learn more here (opens in a new tab or page).