How to Get Into the University of Southern California (USC)

How USC's application is structured

You apply to the University of Southern California through the Common Application, and USC adds its own Writing Supplement on top. The supplement includes a short response (limited to a few hundred words) about your academic interests and how you would pursue them at USC, plus a set of short-answer questions.

USC is a large private university with a heavy international and graduate presence, and many of its programs review applicants for a specific major. Some majors — particularly in Dornsife (the college of letters, arts and sciences) and Viterbi (engineering) — ask for additional short answers, so the supplement you complete depends on the major you select.

That major-level structure is central to how USC reads files: you are not just admitted to "USC," you are considered for a program, and several programs run their own review.

• Common Application + USC Writing Supplement
• Short academic-interest response + short-answer questions
• Some Dornsife and Viterbi majors require extra short answers

Programs that review applicants separately

A defining feature of USC admission is that several units evaluate applicants through their own faculty or portfolio review in addition to the central office. Applicants to visual and performing arts majors, the Iovine and Young Academy, and the World Bachelor in Business should expect to submit portfolios, résumés, or additional writing samples.

The School of Cinematic Arts is a clear example: its faculty admissions committee evaluates creative materials — a portfolio list describing your projects, writing samples (often kept short, around 500 words or less), and other supplements — for qualities such as originality, clarity, personal insight, and artistic excellence. Roski (art and design) similarly requires a portfolio.

Because these reviews are program-specific and their exact requirements and deadlines change each cycle, confirm what your target program asks for on its own official USC page rather than assuming the general timeline applies.

• Cinematic Arts, Roski, Iovine and Young, World Bachelor in Business → extra materials
• Portfolios, project lists, résumés, or writing samples reviewed by program faculty
• Requirements/deadlines are program-specific — check each program's page

Deadlines and merit-scholarship consideration

USC uses three admission plans — Early Action, Early Decision, and Regular Decision. A key point for applicants is that the early deadline (November 1 in recent cycles) is also the deadline to be considered for Office of Admission merit scholarships for most majors. Applying by that early date is how you keep scholarship consideration open.

Majors that require a portfolio or audition often have their own earlier deadline (December 1 in recent cycles) that also serves as the scholarship deadline for those programs, with a later Regular Decision date for other applicants. Merit scholarships are awarded through a holistic review and are not based on financial need.

Dates move year to year, so verify the current Early Action / Early Decision, portfolio-program, and Regular Decision deadlines — and the exact scholarship deadline for your major — on USC's official admission site.

Testing policy and academic profile

USC has used a test-optional policy for first-year applicants in recent cycles: you decide whether to have SAT or ACT scores considered, and USC states that applying without scores does not disadvantage you in admission or scholarship review. If you submit scores, they become one part of a holistic file.

Most of your file is your academic record, essays, activities, recommendations, and any program-specific materials. An official transcript from your school (sent directly to USC) is generally required.

Because test policies are reviewed and can change, confirm USC's current testing policy and score-submission rules on its official test-optional page before deciding whether to send scores.

• Test-optional in recent cycles — submitting scores is your choice
• No disadvantage stated for applying without scores
• Official transcript generally required — verify current rules on usc.edu

International applicants

USC enrolls a large international student community, and applicants from India and elsewhere apply through the same Common App + Writing Supplement process. International applicants whose native language is not English are generally required to demonstrate English proficiency with an accepted test — USC lists TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic (specific accepted variants and any minimums are on USC's international-applicant page).

USC notes that international applicants who apply by the appropriate deadline are eligible for USC merit scholarships, which are awarded on a holistic, non-need basis. So the same November 1 timing that matters for scholarship consideration applies to you too.

After you are admitted and enroll, USC issues the documents you need to apply for an F-1 student visa. Visa rules are set by the U.S. government — this is general information, not immigration or legal advice, and rules change, so verify current requirements on the official .gov sources (travel.state.gov and studyinthestates.dhs.gov).

• English proficiency via TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic (verify accepted variants)
• International applicants are eligible for USC merit scholarships if they apply on time
• F-1 visa steps follow admission — verify on official .gov sources

Building a competitive USC application

Choose your major deliberately, because it determines which supplement, portfolio, or review you face and often which deadline applies. If you are targeting Cinematic Arts, Roski, Iovine and Young, or the World Bachelor in Business, plan the creative materials as seriously as the essays and start them early.

Use the Writing Supplement to be specific about what you would study at USC and why — vague enthusiasm reads as interchangeable. Ask recommenders in advance and send your official transcript through the proper channel.

No service can guarantee USC admission or a scholarship, and holistic review means there is no single number to hit. Aim for an accurate, complete, program-matched application, and verify every deadline and requirement on USC's official admission website.