Frequently Asked Questions

• When are applications to your program due?

  Our priority deadline for graduate application is December 1.  It is important to submit by this date in order to be considered for the best financial support.  We will, however, accept applications for several weeks after this date.

• When do you inform applicants of admissions decisions?

  Accepted applicants are typically notified by mid-February.

• How many applicants does your program get and how many are accepted?

  We received 50 some-odd applications to the CSLC program this past year, and accepted approximately 2% of those applicants.  The accepted students range between tracks and we have between 1-6 applicants accepted per track.  Because our program is so young, these numbers can change based on the quality of the applications we receive.

• Are other foreign language exams, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), accepted by USC?

  As of September 2012, USC accepts IELTS.  

• As an international applicant, do I need to take the both the GRE and the TOEFL or IELTS?

  Yes, you need take both the GRE and the TOEFL or IELTS.

• I am an international applicant and completed my bachelor’s degree at a school where the language of instruction is English, but English is not an adopted language of the country. Will I need to take the TOEFL or IELTS?

  Yes, you will need to take one of these exams.

• What is considered an acceptable GRE score?

  For the old scoring system, the minimum combined Quantitative and Verbal GRE scores USC accepts are no less than 1,000.  At this time, a University-wide standard for a minimum GRE score based on the current GRE scoring system has not been established.  In the last application cycle, the average verbal score was 163 and the average quantitative score was 152 among successful applicants.

• If I apply to a track and am admitted to that track, is it possible to transfer to another track within the Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture Doctoral Program (i.e., apply to Track I in comparative literature, then transfer to Track III in Spanish and Latin American Studies)?

  Yes, it is possible to transfer between tracks within CSLC.  This would usually have to happen by the end of the first year or early in the second year.  But CSLC is very flexible in this regard.