Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements established by USC Dornsife. Meeting the basic eligibility requirements for a semester or year abroad does not guarantee admission to a study abroad program.
Admission to a program is at the discretion of USC Dornsife and the host institution. A student must be admitted by both USC Dornsife and the host institution without regard to the order in which admission decisions are announced by each admitting party.
A student’s third semester as a USC student is the soonest they can spend a semester abroad.
Students must be enrolled in USC courses, or be enrolled in a USC-approved off-campus program, in the fall semester prior to studying abroad in the spring and in the spring semester prior to studying abroad in the fall.
Grade Point Average Requirements
All students who apply to study abroad on a semester- or year-long program must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative USC GPA at the time of application. A student’s grade point average from transfer coursework is not factored into the eligibility requirement.
If a host institution accepts students with a GPA below 3.0, applicants still must meet the USC Dornsife eligibility requirement of a cumulative USC GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Some programs have a higher GPA requirement. Those requirements are listed on individual program pages.
Foreign Language Requirements
If a student is planning to study abroad in a country where a foreign language is spoken and that foreign language is taught by USC Dornsife, the student must have completed, be enrolled in, or have tested out of at least the second semester of that language by the time of application to study abroad. A number of programs require more than two semesters of a foreign language. Please see individual program pages for more details.
In cases where a program provider does not have a foreign language requirement or has a lower requirement than USC Overseas Studies, USC applicants must meet the language requirement as established by Overseas Studies.
Student Conduct Requirements
Students with one or more student conduct violations may be deemed ineligible to study abroad, depending on the nature of the violation(s), at any time from the submission of an application to a program’s start date.
The Office of Overseas Studies checks with the USC Student Judicial and Community Standards (SJACS), Title IX, and the USC Housing Office to see if study abroad applicants have any record of student conduct violations. All cases on file, regardless of the nature of the case, will be reported to the Office of Overseas Studies and may affect a student’s eligibility to study abroad.
Students who are on disciplinary probation or deferred suspension at the time of application are not eligible to study abroad.
Students who have multiple violations but are not on disciplinary probation or deferred suspension may apply but are likely to be deemed ineligible to study abroad regardless of when the violations occurred.
Students should be aware that if they have a case reported to SJACS that has an “amnesty” designation and no formal sanctions imposed by SJACS, their case details will still be reported to the Office of Overseas Studies and they may be deemed ineligible to study abroad.
Class Standing Requirements
Some programs require that prior to attendance students have completed a specified number of semester or years of study at a college or university. Such requirements are listed on individual program pages.
Time Limit
Students may not study abroad after having completed all graduation requirements. Students may only take courses abroad for their undergraduate degree requirements.
Maximum Number of Semesters Abroad
Students may participate in no more than two semester-long programs or one year-long program.