Does USC accept first-year (freshman) and transfer applications for the spring semester?
USC does not accept freshman or transfer applications for spring admission. 

What GPA and test score is required for admission?
There is no minimum requirement or absolute "cutoff" for grades, class rank or test scores. USC evaluates prospective students through an individualized, comprehensive review process that takes these, and many other factors, into account. Regardless, we have found that GPA and standardized test scores are powerful predictors of success at USC, so they do play a significant role during our review process.

What were the average GPA and test scores of the most recent admitted class?
Click here to view the current Freshmen Profile (PDF).

 
Are SAT II exams required?
We only require SAT Subject tests from first-year (freshman) 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, in addition to the SAT or ACT. For all other applicants, these exams are optional, but recommended.

What standardized tests does USC require for admission?

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

- All first-year 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.  The TOEFL must have been taken within the past two years from application date.

 

What is the last SAT or ACT sitting that USC will accept for fall applicants?
We suggest that freshman applicants take all SAT and/or ACT exams by December of their senior year. Although we will accept scores from later sittings, we cannot guarantee that your results will reach us in time to be considered by our admission committee.

How does USC treat Advanced Placement (AP) exams? Are AP scores factored into admission decisions? What kind of advanced credit does USC offer for these exams?

Credit: USC awards 4 units of elective credit for most AP examinations taken Spring 2009 or later with a score of 4 or 5. (Most AP tests taken before Spring 2009 with a score of 3 will also earn elective units.)

Restrictions:

1. AP scores do not earn course equivalence.
2. Students may not receive credit for both an AP exam and a college course taken before high school graduation covering the same subject matter, nor for AP and IB exams covering the same subject matter.
3. A maximum of 32 units will be granted for AP exam credit.
4. No credit is given for Calculus AB Subscore, Music: Aural Subscore, or Music: Nonaural Subscore.

Additionally, scores of 4 or 5 on the following AP exams provide general education credit:

- Art History (fulfills USC GE Category I)
- European History (fulfills USC GE Category I)
- Biology (fulfills USC GE Category III)
- Chemistry (fulfills USC GE Category III)
- Physics (any one of the 3 exams fulfills USC GE Category III)

In order to receive USC credit as outlined above, AP exam results must be officially sent from the College Board to USC. We will not grant credit for AP scores reported on high school transcripts or on student test reports.

* Please note that a score of 4 of 5 on the AP Physics B exam will waive Architecture majors of the USC Physics for Architects (Physics 125) requirement. 

For more information about AP exam credits, please visit the USC Office of Articulation.

Can college units taken before high school graduation satisfy general education requirements? What kind of credit may be earned by college courses taken during high school?

All undergraduate students entering USC may receive a combined maximum of 32 elective units for college courses and/or examinations (e.g., AP or IB) taken before graduation from high school. A maximum of 16 of these 32 units will be allowed for college courses taken before high school graduation. These courses must appear on the college transcript as part of the regular college curriculum and are expected to be taught on the college campus by college faculty and not used toward high school graduation. Students whose courses are taken at a college and were not used toward high school graduation may file an articulation petition to request more than 16 units. These courses (as well as AP and IB exams) will not receive course equivalence or credit toward writing, diversity or foreign language requirements, although they may fulfill general education categories I, II, III or V where appropriate.

 
If I am applying for scholarships, do the recommendation letters from my teachers and/or counselors need to be submitted by December 1 as well?
We prefer that scholarship applicants submit all required materials by the December 1st deadline.

Does USC accept late applications?

Applications postmarked after USC's deadlines will be considered late and may not be considered for the term in question. If this is the case, USC will automatically consider the application for the next available semester (the applicant will be informed if this is the case).

In no case will USC return a student's application or refund an application fee.

 

Are USC application deadlines postmark deadlines?
USC application deadlines are postmark deadlines. Therefore, as long as an application or other materials are mailed and postmarked by the deadline date, they will be considered on-time.

For students submitting online applications, anything submitted by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) of the deadline day will be considered "on time."


I am not a California resident. Will it be harder for me to gain admission? Will my tuition and fees be higher than those for California residents?
USC is a private university and thus has no state residency requirements. We recruit nationally and internationally and almost half of our student body comes from outside of California. Tuition and fees are the same for all students, regardless of state of residence or national citizenship.


English is not my native language. Am I required to take the TOEFL exam?

All international applicants (first-year and transfer) whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL.  International freshmen applicants with minimum scores of 600 on SAT Critical Reading or 27 on ACT English are exempt from taking the TOEFL.  The TOEFL must have been taken within the past two years from application date.

Freshmen 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.  Applicants with minimum scores of 100 on TOEFL iBT (with at least 20 in each section), 600 on SAT Critical Reading, or 27 on ACT English are presumed to be proficient. 

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

 

Is a personal interview required?
Personal interviews are an optional part of the freshman application process.  The University's Office of Admission offers on- and off-campus interviews throughout the fall. USC’s admission interviews are evaluative in nature, and the notes from each interview are considered by the committee during the review process.  The School of Architecture does not conduct interviews.

The size of our applicant pool preludes the University from interviewing every applicant, therefore this element of the application is strictly optional. Appointments are limited, and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Past history has shown that there is no appreciable difference in the admission rates of students who are not interviewed.

To sign up for an admission interview, please Click Here.

 
Does USC offer early decision or early action admission?
USC does not offer early decision or early action admission programs. All students who apply to the university by the appropriate deadline (December 1st for first-year scholarship applicants, January 10th for all other first-year applicants and February 1st or all transfer applicants) are given equal consideration in the application review process. 

 

What are USC's tuition and fees?
See a full listing of tuition and fees on USC's Financial Aid Office website.