Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid and VA Benefits

Important Dates and Deadlines

December 1, 2023*
First-Year Application Deadline for Merit Scholarship Consideration. All first-year applicants who submit a complete application by December 1 will be considered for USC Merit Scholarships.
*This is the Regular Decision deadline*

First-year and transfer deadline for the following programs:
All Dramatic Arts, Cinematic Arts, and Music programs, Kaufman School of Dance, the Iovine and Young Academy. Roski School of Art and Design. School of Architecture.

January 15, 2024
All other majors first-year application deadline.

February 7, 2024
FAFSA and CSS Profile applications due for financial aid. If you are interested in receiving Financial Aid, learn more on the Financial Aid website.

April 1, 2024
Final Admission Decisions. All first-year applicants who submitted a complete application by the January deadline will be mailed an admission decision by April 1. Only notification from the Office of Admission constitutes an offer of admission.

Checklist

1.  Common Application and USC Writing Supplement
2. Official Test Scores: USC requires either SAT or ACT scores from all first-year applicants. For students who take the SAT more than once, USC records the highest scores for each section — Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Mathematics — even if achieved in different settings. For the ACT, USC will just consider the highest composite score.
3. Transcripts: First-year applicants should submit official transcripts of all high school and college coursework completed.
4. Letter(s) of Recommendation: One letter is required from either your school counselor or a teacher from your school. Applicants to the School of Cinematic Arts must submit three letters of recommendation.
5. Portfolio, resumé and/or additional writing samples: if required by major. Performance majors may also require auditions. Refer to the Additional Application Requirements section, below, for more information.
6. Submit your fall grades (when available): Use the Mid-Year Report Form included in the Common Application or visit usc.edu/midyeargrades to submit your fall grades.

Please read through the ROTC section of this website for additional information on applications and Financial Aid.

Undergraduate Programs

U.S. military veterans, current service members, and military dependents can have their application fee waived when applying for admission through the Common Application.

First-year applicants will find this option in the Profile section of the Common Application. School-specific fee waiver options can be found in the USC supplement to the Common Application.

Transfer applicants will find this option in the My Application section of the Common Application. School-specific fee waiver options can be found in the Program Materials section of the Common Application.

Explore USC Graduate Fee Waivers.

How much will my undergraduate education cost at USC?

Please explore the Estimated Cost of Attendance page in order to see an estimated breakdown of tuition, fees, housing, and living expenses. Continue to read this section on Financial Aid, Scholarships, and possible VA Benefits, including the Yellow Ribbon program.

What is Financial Aid?

Undergraduate financial aid includes grants, merit scholarships, loans and Federal Work-Study. The amount and types of aid students receive can be based on a student’s and family’s financial need (need-based) or provided without regard to need.

Need-based financial aid may come from the federal government, the state or USC directly. Some funds, such as grants, scholarships and Federal Work-Study, do not need to be repaid. Loans, however, do need to be repaid after graduation, so students and families who choose to borrow should plan accordingly. Explore our financial aid checklist on the USC Financial Aid website.

Scholarships

Your application for admission works hand in hand as an application for most USC merit scholarships. For additional scholarship opportunities, please read through our Scholarships section on this site.

Who Receives Financial Aid at USC?

USC maintains a strong commitment to financial aid for undergraduate students: We have increased our financial aid funding so that we may continue to meet each student’s demonstrated need.

We are a need-blind institution, which means the admissions and financial aid processes are completely separate from each other.

Nearly two-thirds of USC undergraduates receive some sort of financial aid, including need-based grants, merit scholarships, Federal Work-Study and loans.

• Among the 2023 entering first-year class, nearly two-thirds received some form of financial assistance, with more than 21 percent receiving a USC merit-based scholarship.

GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon, and Other VA Benefits

USC supports our veterans and military community financially - largely through our commitment to awarding an unlimited number of Yellow Ribbon scholarships with an unlimited amount of money each year to eligible students on the undergraduate level. Through Yellow Ribbon funding, undergraduate student veterans, who enter USC with remaining GI Bill eligibility, can graduate from USC debt-free. The Yellow Ribbon program supplements the GI Bill at private institutions.

Please use the VA’s GI Bill Comparison Tool to see how USC’s Yellow Ribbon commitment compares to other schools. You can enter your level (undergraduate, graduate), your GI Bill percentage (Yellow Ribbon applies at the 100% level), and see what your net cost will be each year at USC.

We know that Financial Aid can be difficult to navigate, which is why we want to answer your questions. Please see the FAQ Section first.

• If you have unique questions about your GI Bill or Vocational Rehabilitation benefits, please email the USC Veterans Certification Office at vets@usc.edu or call (213) 740-4619 for guidance.
• If you have general questions about financial aid, please call the Financial Aid office at 213-740-4444 or see if your question can be answered online at askUSC.

How to Use Your VA Education Benefits

For instructions on how to file to use your GI BIll or other VA Educational  Benefits through the VA and USC, please read through our How to File page. In addition, please watch the video at the bottom of the Using Your Veteran Benefits at USC page. Scroll down to view the video.

Even if you are planning to use your VA Education Benefits, please also apply for Financial Aid at USC by submitting your FAFSA and CSS Profile each year before March 2*. Read through the Continuing Undergraduate Students Dates and Deadlines.
*After viewing your USC Financial Aid package, students are then able to choose if they’d like to use their GI Bill or other VA Educational Benefits.

Undergraduate Yellow Ribbon Funding

Only veterans entitled to the 100% Post 9/11 benefit rate (based on service requirements) or their designated transferees may receive this funding. Active duty service members and their spouses are not eligible for this program (child transferees of active duty service members may be eligible if the service member is qualified at the 100% rate).

The Post 9/11 GI Bill will contribute to private institutions up to $27,120.05 during the 2023-2024 year. Yellow Ribbon is available to supplement the remaining, depending on your degree and program.

Continued Eligibility for Yellow Ribbon Benefit Recipients

• Remain in good academic standing with USC
• All VA certified courses must be degree applicable
• Remain eligible for Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits through the VA (you can check this through the VA’s eBenefits site)
• Students who wish to receive VA educational assistance, including BAH each term, must be enrolled and must complete the online Application for Semester Entitlement (ASE) form each semester after class registration. The USC Veterans Certification Office will not certify students without a recent request on file, therefore, VA educational benefits will not be activated.