USC Dornsife Exchange
The USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences currently has exchange agreements with three international partners. In an exchange, a USC Dornsife student exchanges places with a student from a partner university for a semester or an academic year.
USC Dornsife’s Exchange Partners
- France: Sciences Po
- Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
- Ireland: Trinity College Dublin (TCD)
If you are a student at one of our exchange partners, we encourage you to apply for exchange at USC Dornsife. You will first need to be nominated by your home university. Visit your university’s international exchange office for more information on the your university’s application and selection process. Once you have been nominated by your home university, Dornsife Overseas Studies will be in contact with you about the next steps.
If your university does not have an exchange agreement with USC Dornsife, please contact USC Admissions for information on attending USC https://admission.usc.edu/
USC Dornsife Courses:
A list of the majors and minors offered at USC Dornsife can be found here. Courses available at USC Dornsife can be found in the USC Schedule of Classes: https://classes.usc.edu/ Choose the appropriate term and select Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. USC’s course numbering system indicates year such that 100-level courses are first-year, 200-level courses are second-year, etc. Check to see if the courses you are interested in have prerequisites.
Enrollment Requirements while at USC Dornsife:
Exchange students are required to maintain a full-time enrollment of 16-18 USC units per semester. In the first semester, all units must be from Dornsife. In your second semester, you may take up to 8 units from another USC School. Note: Other USC schools may restrict Dornsife exchange student enrollment in their courses.
Required Course Loads
Costs:
Students accepted on exchange to USC Dornsife pay standard tuition to their home university. However, they are responsible for paying the following while in Los Angeles:
- USC Students fees each semester of exchange (Student Health Center Fee, Student Programming Fee, Topping Student Aid Fund Fee, Transportation Fee) See the schedule of classes for up-to-date listing of campus fees: https://classes.usc.edu/ (tuition & fees section)
- Room & Board: Students may apply to live in USC housing (https://housing.usc.edu/), but a space in USC housing is not guaranteed. Otherwise, students arrange to live independently off campus.
- Transportation costs
- Medical Expenses & Medical Insurance (Students must meet the medical insurance requirements of both USC Dornsife and their home university for the full study period.)
- Books & Supplies
- Personal & Miscellaneous Expenses
- Passport & Visa Costs
English Language Requirement to Study at USC:
To study at USC Dornsife, students must have a TOEFL iBT score of 90 with no less than 20 on each section OR an IELTS score of 6.5 with no less than 6 on each band score.
J-1 Visa to Study in the United States:
Unless you are a U.S. citizen, you will need a visa to study in the U.S. Dornsife will request a DS-2019 for each admitted exchange student. Once you receive your DS-2019, you may make a visa appointment at a US Consulate. The U.S Consulate will require proof of sufficient funds to study in the U.S. (currently $2000 US per month): https://ois.usc.edu/j1-scholars/obtaining-a-ds-2019/funding/