Undergraduate Admissions

Admissions

Undergraduate Admissions

Welcome to the USC School of Architecture

With close to 100 faculty members and 530 undergraduate students, the School is committed to shaping student experiences so that not only will you perform well in the profession, but will also lead the discipline in new directions, sensing, responding to and helping to cause positive change in society. Your experience in the program will be a continuous act of discovery: of observing, recording, interpreting, and finally, inventing proposals for the built environment which are in response to ideas and critical intentions.

Please review the admissions requirements on this site. If you have further questions please Contact Us.

1.
Application
Submit a complete Common Application for the University of Southern California.

2.
Portfolio
An online portfolio submission is required of ALL first-year (freshman) and transfer applicants.

Portfolio Requirements

3.
Other Required Materials

Standardized Test Scores

SAT and ACT
USC requires either SAT or ACT scores (with the optional Writing test) from:

- All first-year (freshman) applicants.
- Transfer applicants who have accumulated fewer than 30 transferable semester units since graduating high school.

For students who take the SAT more than once, USC records the highest scores for each section – Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing -- even if achieved in different sittings. For students taking the ACT, USC will record the highest composite score.

SAT Subject Tests
We only require SAT Subject tests from first-year applicants who do not attend a regionally accredited high school (e.g., home school, some non-accredited parochial or community based programs, even some newer schools). These students must submit three SAT Subject exams, including one in mathematics. For all other applicants, these exams are optional, but recommended. We find them helpful in evaluating applications for merit scholarships.

AP Exams
First-year applicants who have taken Advanced Placement (AP) examinations are encouraged to provide those results.

TOEFL
All international applicants (first-year and transfer) whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL. International first-year applicants with minimum scores of 600 on SAT Critical Reading or 27 on ACT English are exempt from taking the TOEFL. Applicants with minimum scores of 100 on TOEFL iBT (with at least 20 in each section) are presumed to be proficient. The TOEFL must have been taken within the past two years from application date.

First-year and transfer applicants whose native language is English are presumed to be proficient. This includes applicants from countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada (except Quebec) where English is both the first language of the country and the language of instruction.

USC does not accept the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication).

Additional information for International Applicants

Counselor or Teacher Recommendations
Transfer applicants must submit at least one (1) and no more than three (3) letters of recommendation.

First-Year (freshman) Applicants should submit the minimum one (1) Counselor/Teacher Report and letter of recommendation as specified in the Common Application. Separate letters are not required for the School of Architecture.

The Bachelor of Architecture is a 5- year undergraduate professional degree accredited by the National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB).

Fall 2012 Deadlines

December 1, 2011

First-Year (freshman) Application and Portfolio Deadline for Scholarship Consideration

January 10, 2012

First-Year (freshman) Application Deadline and Portfolio Deadline for Regular Consideration

February 1, 2012

Transfer Application and Portfolio Deadline for Scholarship and Regular Consideration

*USC defines a transfer student as anyone who has attended college since graduating high school.

**USC does not accept first-year or transfer applications for spring admission.

Related Links

Architecture Bulletin/Brochure

USC General Application FAQs

First-Year (freshman) Application Process

Transfer Application Process

"The Trojan Family really exists with the School of Architecture, it is my second family enriching my professional and personal life. The School's Internship program with some of the best Architectural firms in Los Angeles is unequaled "

Andrea Cohen Gehring, AIA
(B.Arch. 1985)