Ready to Apply?

At USC Dornsife, the liberal arts and sciences college within the University of Southern California, students benefit from challenging courses taught by world-class faculty members and innovative research, study abroad, and service-learning activities. We have programs that push you to excel and achieve more than you thought possible. And you can do all this within a university that houses over 1,000 student organizations, exciting Division I and intramural sports, and theatre performances, concerts, and speaker events throughout the academic year. We’re excited that you’re interested in joining our vibrant USC Dornsife community of students and scholars who want to make a positive difference in the world.

It is your responsibility to ensure that all required application materials are sent to USC by the posted deadlines. Applications submitted after the deadlines listed above are not guaranteed a priority review.

You’ll apply to USC via the Common Application. All students applying to a major within USC Dornsife (as a first-choice major) will complete the Dornsife supplemental question in addition to the elements of the Common Application completed by all applicants to USC. The question will appear on the Common Application after you have selected a Dornsife major as your first-choice major. For more information on the Dornsife supplemental question, see below.

USC now has two Admission Plans: Early Action and Regular Decision. To select a major, you’ll first have to select an Admission Plan. If you would like to apply to a Dornsife first-choice major and be considered for a merit scholarship at USC, please select “Early Action” as your Admission Plan.

USC has adopted a test-optional policy for first-year students applying for admission for Fall 2025. Under this policy, you decide if you would like your SAT or ACT scores to be considered. You will be asked to indicate whether you plan to submit scores; if you do, we will wait to receive them. You will not be penalized or put at a disadvantage if you choose not to submit SAT or ACT scores. USC’s student selection process has always been holistic, and we are confident in our ability to identify student potential using the totality of what’s presented to us.

All first-year applicants who submit a complete application by the Early Action deadline will be sent an admission decision in mid- to late January 2025. All others who meet the January 15, 2025 application deadline will be sent an admission decision by April 1, 2025. Only notification from the USC Office of Undergraduate Admission constitutes an offer of admission.

For complete information on applying to USC as a first-year student, click here.

USC defines a transfer student as anyone currently enrolled in college or anyone who has attended college since finishing high school. Successful transfer applicants have generally completed at least one year of rigorous academic college-level courses, including two semesters of English writing and, at minimum, Algebra II in high school or Intermediate Algebra in college.

It is your responsibility to ensure that all required application materials are sent to USC by the posted deadlines. Applications submitted after the deadlines listed above are not guaranteed a priority review.

You’ll apply to USC via the Common Application. All transfer applicants who submit a complete application by the deadline will be mailed an admission decision or a request for spring semester grades by June 1, 2025. USC does not have an early decision program for transfer applicants. Only notification from the USC Office of Undergraduate Admission constitutes an offer of admission.

Please note that while there are no required courses to apply as a transfer student to USC Dornsife, there are some recommend courses students can take to be a more competitive applicant. For more information on applying to USC as a transfer student, including links to the Transferring to USC brochure (with a list of recommended courses for certain majors), Transfer Planning Worksheet, and interactive Transfer Planning Guide, click here.

Transferring to USC Dornsife – Download the Brochure

Every year, students from all over the world apply to USC. We are proud to have one of the largest international student populations of any university in the United States. We offer special international student orientations and a variety of student services to ease your transition to university life in the U.S.

At USC, an international student is an individual of foreign nationality who will be entering, or has already entered, the United States with a student visa. Students already residing in the United States and holding other non-immigrant visas (E2, H2, or L2, for example) are also considered to be international students.

International students do not qualify for need-based financial aid, but are eligible for merit-based scholarships. Permanent residents of the United States, naturalized U.S. citizens, and U.S. citizens residing abroad and attending school outside the United States are not considered international students and are eligible for both need-based financial aid and merit-based scholarships.

International students must follow the steps for applying to USC as either a first-year applicant or a transfer applicant. They must also submit the Financial Statement of Personal or Family Support. In addition, international applicants whose native language is not English will be required to demonstrate their English proficiency through submission of TOEFL (or TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition), IELTS (or IELTS Indicator), or PTE Academic scores.

For complete information on applying to USC as an international student, click here.

First-Year Applicants

As part of the Writing Questions section of the Common Application, all first-year applicants applying to a USC Dornsife major as a first-choice major will be asked to complete a Dornsife supplemental question. The question will appear on the Common Application after you have selected a Dornsife major as your first-choice major. You will provide a brief (250 words or less) response to this supplemental question. Transfer students are not required to complete this supplemental question and will not see it on the Common Application

There is no “best” or “right” answer. We simply want to know more about you and your motivations and passions. Because application reviewers will have access to all portions of your application, we suggest that you focus your Dornsife supplemental response on a different topic than what you’ve already discussed elsewhere in your application.

The Dornsife supplemental question is:

Many of us have at least one issue or passion that we care deeply about – a topic on which we would love to share our opinions and insights in hopes of sparking intense interest and continued conversation. If you had ten minutes and the attention of a million people, what would your talk be about?

USC Dornsife offers a number of master’s and Ph.D. programs. For more information on the graduate school application process, please visit the website for USC Dornsife’s Office of Graduate Programs.