Admission to the university is granted through the USC Office of Undergraduate Admission. This office receives and processes all applications, evaluates credentials, and mails letters of acceptance to applicants who qualify for entrance. Admission to the university's degree programs must be granted in all cases by the USC Office of Undergraduate Admission and the appropriate selection committees.
Application forms may be obtained by mail or in person from the Office of Undergraduate Admission. A non-refundable fee must be sent with the completed application. Requests for applications should be addressed to: Application Requests, University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0911.
Credentials for admission must include complete records of all previous high school and college or university work and the required test scores. The student must ask the registrar of every school previously attended to forward an official transcript directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admission and request the testing agencies to forward appropriate scores.
USC does not undertake to collect these credentials. The application for admission and complete credentials should be mailed to the Office of Undergraduate Admission by the deadlines stated on the application. For specific application deadlines and requirements, refer to the Undergraduate Application for Admission, available from the Office of Undergraduate Admission. There are a limited number of spaces in the class, and priority is given to those who apply early. Certain schools and departments do have specific spring and fall semester application deadlines, however, and some do not admit for the spring semester.
Factors given prime consideration for admission to undergraduate study are an applicant's previous academic success and the quality of all records presented. To assure diversity in the composition of the student body, other considerations may include outstanding talent and abilities, extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation.
A student is accepted only for the semester and program specified in the letter of admission. If a different semester is desired or if the student cannot arrive on campus in time for the specified semester, an Admission Application Update Request form should be obtained from the Office of Undergraduate Admission. This form should be completed and returned with a written explanation for the update request. If the update request is granted, the student's application will be reviewed again for admission and any new academic records will be evaluated. This does not, however, guarantee readmission.
Admitted students may update their applications to a semester that is within one year of the semester for which they originally applied without paying an additional application fee. Students who are denied admission or who wish to update past one year must reapply and pay the application fee.
As a private university, USC seeks a wide geographical distribution among its student body, and evaluates its out-of-state applicants using the same criteria as those used for California residents. Tuition and fees are the same for all students, regardless of state or country of residence.
Because of unusually keen competition for admission, several schools and academic departments require supplementary application materials and may employ separate deadlines.
School of Accounting Applicants for the B.S. degree in Accounting offered through the School of Accounting must first be admitted to the School of Business Administration. After meeting prerequisites, which consist of two accounting courses, applicants may change their majors to accounting. For more information, please write or call the USC School of Business, Office of Undergraduate Admission, Bridge Hall 105, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1421, (213) 740-8885.
School of Architecture (B.Arch.) High school transcripts and SAT or ACT scores are required of all applicants (including transfer and international students). Applicants are admitted for the fall semester and only in rare cases for the spring semester.
School of Business Administration In some cases, high school students who have demonstrated exceptional scholastic aptitude for the business major will be considered for admission as freshmen. Typically however, the School of Business Administration admits students to junior standing only. Prospective business applicants will be considered for the pre-business curriculum (not a degree program) in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. After completing at least three semesters and 36 transferable units in prerequisites and lower division classes, pre-business candidates and transfer students will be eligible to apply to the School of Business Administration. Prerequisites include two semesters of English composition, three semesters of mathematics (finite math, calculus and probability), two semesters of economics (macroeconomics and microeconomics), and one semester of programming and data processing. Transfer students will be considered for admission without having completed courses in probability and programming and data processing, as some colleges and universities do not offer equivalent courses. Transfer students must submit a list of courses-in-progress with their applications. For further information, write or call the USC School of Business, Office of Undergraduate Admission, Bridge Hall 105, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1421, (213) 740-8885.
School of Cinema-Television/Critical Studies (B.A.) The application deadline for fall semester is February 1; for spring semester it is November 1. For specific instructions on applications and required supplementary material, applicants must write or call the USC School of Cinema-Television/Critical Studies, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211, (213) 740-2911.
School of Cinema-Television/Filmic Writing (B.F.A.) The application deadline for fall semester is February 1; applicants are admitted to fall semester only. For specific instructions on applications and required supplementary material, applicants must write or call the Filmic Writing Program, USC School of Cinema-Television, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211, (213) 740-3303. Transfer students should note that the core curriculum will take four years to complete.
School of Cinema-Television/Production (B.A.) or Still Photography (B.A.) The application deadline for fall semester is February 1. The application deadline for spring semester for the production major is September 1. Applicants are admitted to the still photography major for the fall semester only. For specific instructions on applications and required supplementary material, applicants must write or call the USC School of Cinema-TV/Student Affairs Office, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211, (213) 740-2911. A minimum of three letters of recommendation is required.
School of Dentistry Applicants for the six-year dental program must contact the School of Dentistry for a supplementary application and program requirements. The application deadline is February 1. For further information, write or call the USC School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0641, (213) 740-2841.
School of Fine Arts (B.F.A. and B.A.) Priority consideration for admission to the fall semester is given to those students who submit applications by February 1; the deadline for spring semester is November 1. Slide portfolios are required of all transfer applicants to the B.F.A. and B.A. (Studio Arts) programs and may be requested of freshman applicants to these programs. Applicants must write or call the USC School of Fine Arts, Watt Hall 104, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292, (213) 740-2787 for specific instructions about applications and required supplementary materials.
School of Journalism (includes majors in broadcast journalism, print journalism, public relations, journalism/East Asian area studies and journalism/Russian). High school transcripts and SAT or ACT scores are required of all applicants (including transfer and international students). A statement of intent is required in addition to the essay. The statement of intent should discuss thoroughly the applicant's background and interest in pursuing an education and a career in journalism. Writing samples are read with great attention to commitment and literacy. For more information, write or call the USC School of Journalism, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1695, (213) 740-8182.
School of Music (all majors) An audition is required. A supplementary application form must be obtained from and returned to School of Music Office of Admissions, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0851, (213) 740-8986. Applicants are urged to apply as early as possible.
Department of Nursing All prerequisite and general course work must be completed prior to entering nursing classes, which begin in fall only. Contact the department about completing necessary courses at USC or elsewhere. Admission is for fall semester only, except for R.N.s seeking the B.S.N. For information, write or call the USC Department of Nursing, 1540 Alcazar St., Los Angeles, CA 90033, (213) 342-2001.
Department of Occupational Therapy Applications are accepted for the summer session only; the program begins once a year in early July. Information and the required departmental supplementary application form can be obtained by writing or calling the USC Department of Occupational Therapy, 1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 133, Los Angeles, CA 90033, (213) 342-2850.
School of Pharmacy Applicants are admitted to fall semester only. Information about pre-pharmacy course requirements and admission directly from high school is provided on page 659. All applicants should contact the School of Pharmacy for instructions and a separate application by writing or calling the USC School of Pharmacy, 1985 Zonal Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033, (213) 342-1466.
Physician Assistant Program The application deadline for fall is February 1; admission is for fall only. All prerequisite and general education courses must be completed prior to entry. Students should contact the department for a supplementary application. For more information, write or call Primary Care Physician Assistant Program, 1975 Zonal Avenue, KAM B-29, Los Angeles, CA 90033, (213) 342-1328.
School of Theatre (B.F.A. and B.A.) A supplementary application form must be obtained from and returned to the USC School of Theatre, Academic Services Office, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0791. An audition/interview is required for admission to the B.F.A. program; applicants must submit the supplementary application before scheduling an audition/interview. Applications for the B.F.A. program are accepted for the fall semester only; the deadline for returning the supplementary application varies depending upon the city in which the applicant will audition. The deadline for applying to the B.A. program is February 1 for fall semester and November 1 for spring semester. Telephone (213) 740-1285.
Evidence of intellectual promise for admission to freshman standing will be furnished by the excellence of the applicant's high school academic record and appropriate strength on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) of the College Entrance Examination Board or the assessment of the American College Testing (ACT) Program.
Consideration will be given to students presenting records with a pattern of selecting challenging academic courses, a strong trend in grades and leadership in co-curricular and community activities. The university will determine in each case the adequacy of the academic evidence presented.
Evidence that the student has completed high school (a diploma) is necessary prior to enrolling at USC.
The Dean of Admission and Financial Aid has the discretionary authority to grant waivers of the university's normal entrance requirements.
Although no single pattern of courses is required, a minimum of 16 year-long courses in any combination of the following is necessary: 13 year-long courses in English, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences and foreign languages; three additional year-long courses may be taken in the previous areas or in computer science, theatre (except acting or technical theatre), fine arts (except first-year studio art), journalism (except newspaper or yearbook production), music (except ensembles), and speech (except debate or forensics). USC does not recognize in its admission process grades earned in courses other than those listed.
The willingness of the Committee on Admission to consider any variation from the recommended program will depend upon the applicant's promise of academic success and the quality of the total record.
All applicants for admission as freshmen are required to take either the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) of the College Entrance Examination Board or the assessment of the American College Testing Program (ACT). These tests are given several times each year on the USC campus and at many other test centers throughout the country. If test information and application forms are not readily available, write to the Educational Testing Service, 1947 Center Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 or the American College Testing Program, P.O. Box 414, Iowa City, IA 52240.
The Office of Undergraduate Admission strongly encourages applicants to take three SAT II Subject Tests administered by the College Board and have the test results sent to USC. If possible, one of the three subject exams should be the writing test.
For students attending high schools that are not recognized by one of the regional accrediting associations, test scores will be most important to the application process. These students are strongly urged to take three SAT II Subject Tests, including one in math and one in English.
Students may establish a total of 32 semester units of credit toward their bachelor's degree by examination. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credit is granted at USC and will be evaluated solely according to USC's Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate policies. Such credit may be established as listed below.
USC grants college credit for high school advanced placement courses which have been validated by the Advanced Placement Examinations of the Educational Testing Service. A student may be granted four semester units of credit for most AP tests with scores of three, four or five. Some AP tests fulfill general education requirements; for specific information call the Office of Undergraduate Admission, (213) 740-1111.
USC grants six semester units of college credit for each score of 5, 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations. Students may earn up to 18 units of credit in this manner. International Baccalaureate results should be forwarded to the Office of International Admissions, Student Union 311, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0898.
Units earned by special examinations may be counted toward the 32 units of credit by examination which are acceptable toward the degree. See the Credit by Special Examination section (page 50) for further information.
USC does not grant credit on the basis of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP).
An applicant may be admitted by transfer from a fully accredited college, university, or community college, under the following conditions: (1) if the applicant has completed 30 or more transferable college semester units with an appropriately strong grade point average; (2) if the applicant is not under the penalty of academic or disciplinary disqualification at any college or university previously attended and is entitled to an honorable dismissal; and (3) if a high school transcript has been provided as part of the application materials. If fewer than 30 transferable semester units have been completed at the time of application, the applicant must submit - in addition to the high school transcripts - the results of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or the American College Testing (ACT) assessment, which will be considered along with the college work.
The amount of advanced standing granted to a student transferring from another institution is determined in each individual case by the Office of Academic Records and Registrar. A student may earn a maximum of 80 units of credit toward a bachelor's degree from other accredited institutions. Of this total, no more than 70 units will be accepted from community or two-year colleges. The B.Arch. degree allows a maximum of 100 units of transfer credit. It is the student's responsibility to report all college-level course work completed outside USC to the Office of Undergraduate Admission when completing the application form. Omitting such information constitutes a violation of the applicant's affidavit and may result in the retroactive withdrawal of the admission decision.
Records of correspondence study, extension or summer session courses taken in other institutions after the student's admission to USC must also be filed with the Office of Academic Records and Registrar immediately following the completion of the work.
Undergraduate students who complete 17 or more semester units at another accredited college or university between enrollments at USC must reapply to enter the university and to receive transfer credit for such units. Students should obtain an Application for Re-entry from the Office of Undergraduate Admission, preferably prior to leaving USC. No application fee is required.
In reviewing the reapplication, the Office of Admission will expect that the student left USC with a record in good standing (cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or better) and is presenting work completed elsewhere with a grade point average of at least C. Students who have completed fewer than 17 units elsewhere between enrollments at USC need not submit a reapplication form.
Students who are under the penalty of academic disqualification from USC should not submit a reapplication form, but should contact the Academic Review Department at (213) 740-7741.
Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995