Why study at the University of Southern California?

The University of Southern California received over 69,000 applications for its Fall 2022-23 admissions, which was the highest in comparison to previous years. The acceptance rate at USC was reported at 12% for Fall 2022 admissions. Courses at USC are offered across its popular areas of - Arts, International Business and Technology to international students. Financial aid at the University of Southern California is available for international students as well.  

Check out: University of Southern California Reviews 

The University of Southern California Highlights 

Location	Los Angeles
Campuses	1: University Park Campus
Total Courses Offered	1,100+
UG Admission Requirements	ELP scores + High School scores
PG Admission Requirements	GRE/GMAT + Bachelor’s + ELP scores
ELP Tests Accepted	TOEFL / IELTS / PTE
UG Application & Fee	Common App - USD 85
PG Application & Fee	USC Application - application fee varies
Financial Aid	Merit-based scholarships for international students
Cost of Attendance	USD 85,700 approx.
Accommodation	Available
Internships & Placements	Offered through Career Centre

Top Reasons to Study at USC 

Students stuck between the University of Southern California and other US universities can read about the following top reasons as to why they should choose to study at USC: 

• The University of Southern California is one of the top three ranking universities in California. 
• Financial aid is offered to more than 4,000+ students at USC annually. 
• Indian students make up the second largest group of students who are enrolled at the University of Southern California. 
• The student retention rate at the University of Southern California was reported at 97% in 2021, which is higher than UC Berkeley but lower than Stanford and Caltech. 
• After graduating from USC, the students would be a part of the 450,000 alumni base who are eligible to avail various alumni benefits.  

Read about: University of Southern California Campus

The University of Southern California Rankings 

To understand the reputation of the University of Southern California, a ranking analysis of over five years for both QS and THE have been detailed below: 

Year-wise Global Rankings of USC	QS - World University Rankings	THE World University Rankings
2023-24	#134	#65
2022-23	#112	#63
2021-22	#121	#53
2020-21	#129	#62
2019-20	#115	#66

The rankings of USC have fluctuated majorly between 2019 to 2020, as per QS and rankings where the ranking position has increased, but in the case of THE rankings for USC, the rankings dropped between 2019 to 2021 but increased between 2021 to 2022. There has been a fall in the rankings consistently for two years that is between 2020 to 2022 as per QS only, whereas as per THE the ranking has dropped by two points between 2022 and 2023.  

University of Southern California Courses 

There are over 1,100+ courses offered at the University of Southern California across 23 schools and colleges. Out of these 1,100 courses, around 450+ courses are offered at the certificate and undergraduate levels, while 520+ courses are offered at the postgraduate level. The following table comprises of the 23 academic units across which courses at the University of Southern California are offered under: 

Schools & Colleges at the University of Southern California
USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences	USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism	USC Mrs T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
USC Leventhal School of Accounting	USC Roski School of Art and Design	USC Iovine and Young Academy
USC School of Architecture	USC Gould School of Law	USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
USC Marshall School of Business	USC School of Cinematic Arts	USC School of Dramatic Arts
USC Rossier School of Education	USC Viterbi School of Engineering	USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
USC Thornton School of Music	Keck School of Medicine of USC	USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance	Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy
USC Bovard College of Professional Studies	USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

International students can opt for certificate, diploma and other types of professional courses at the University of Southern California for admissions apart from UG, PG and doctoral courses. 

University of Southern California Admissions 

The University of Southern California admissions are tough and very selective, for Fall 2022 the acceptance rate for the incoming class was reported at 12%. Out of 69,062 applications received for the Fall 2022 session, only 8,884 applications were accepted for admission. Out of the total accepted applications, only 3,664 applicants chose to accept the admission offer for enrollment at the University of Southern California. Thus, admissions at USC are selective. Read on for level-wise admission application submission details for USC. 

USC UG Admissions 

Students who wish to apply for the University of Southern California undergraduate admissions can apply via the Common Application online. Students must fulfil the basic admission requirements when applying to USC and attach relevant documents along with the application. The admission application must have an application fee of USD 85 which must be submitted in order to deem a completion of the application so that it can be assessed.  

Basic Eligibility Requirements: 

Indian students must complete class X and XII state board or CBSE/ICSE exams whichever is applicable. Applicants who typically achieve high marks, primarily A1 and A2 grades or scores above 80 have higher chances of selection at the University of Southern California for admission. 

Supporting Documents: 

• Transcripts  
• Academic records of high school and secondary school 
• Copy of current passport 
• ACT or SAT is not required mandatorily because USC chooses to be test-optional. In case students wish to submit, they can do so. 
• Financial documents  
• English language proficiency test scores of any of the following given tests: 

ELP Tests Accepted at USC for UG Admission	Minimum Score Requirement
TOEFL (or TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition)	A minimum score of 100 and score not less than 20 in each section
IELTS (or IELTS Indicator)	7.0
PTE	68
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	650
ACT English	27

USC PG Admissions 

The postgraduate admissions at the University of Southern California are based on specific course requirements. In this case, the deadlines also differ and so do the basic admission requirements. Some of the common requirements are as follows: 

• Applicants will have to submit either GRE or GMAT depending upon their course. 
• Bachelor’s in subjects related to the opted courses must be understood carefully before applying. 
• Language proficiency tests are required of international students. TOEFL, IELTS or PTE scores can be submitted. Minimum scores may differ per course. 

Supporting Documents: 

• Transcripts of high school and bachelor’s degree. 
• GRE or GMAT or LSAT or MCAT scores 
• Resume / CV 
• Recommendation letter (LOR)  

USC Acceptance Rate 

The acceptance rate at the University of Southern California is usually indicative of being highly selective. Fall 2022 recorded an acceptance rate of 12% at USC, while in Fall 2021 the USC acceptance rate was reported at 16%. While the USC acceptance rate for the year 2020 was 16.5%. The acceptance rate at the University of Southern California has recorded a fall in acceptance rate over these three years, hence admissions are tougher at USC for international students.  

Check out the University of Southern California Admissions for detailed information. 

USC Cost of Attendance 

University of Southern California's fee for international students varies for postgraduate courses because the course credits decide the fees. The undergraduate cost of attendance at USC is common, but the fees are subject to change without prior notification. The following table shows the cost of attending the University of Southern California in 2023-24: 

Expenses at University of Southern California	Cost of Attendance for 2023-24
Tuition (12-18 units for two semesters)	USD 63,468
Fees	USD 1,258
Housing	USD 10,506
Dining/meals	USD 6,930
Books and supplies	USD 1,200
Personal and miscellaneous	USD 1,702
Transportation	USD 584
Total Cost of Attendance at USC	USD 85,648

Check: 

• Cost of Studying in the USA 
• Cost of Living in the USA 

University of Southern California Financial Aid 

There are no need-based financial aids for international students enrolling at the University of Southern California. However, students while applying for admission to USC can indicate their preference for a merit-based scholarship. Merit-based scholarships are offered to those students who show exceptional performance in academics, athletics or artistic talents.  

Merit-based Scholarships at USC 

Students applying for a merit-based scholarship should be able to submit their applications by either November 1 or December 1. The following are some of the merit-based scholarships available for international students at USC: 

• National Merit Finalist Presidential 
• USC Associates 
• Asian Pacific Alumni Association 
• Black Alumni Association 
• Hong Kong Schools Alumni Federation 

University of Southern California Placements 

Around 80% of the students who study at the University of Southern California are able to find a full-time job for themselves after graduating. In 2021 around 78% of the students were employed full time and the reported average annual salary was USD 73,591 while the annual median salary was USD 70,000. Some of the top employers were as follows: 

Top Employers at the University of Southern California
Goldman Sachs	Apple	Accenture
Bain & Company	Bank of America	Morgan Stanley
Adobe	Microsoft	KPMG
Amazon	PwC	Deloitte

The top five destinations where the students of the class of 2021 found a job after graduating from USC are as follows: 

• United States: 96.34% 
• China Mainland: 1.12% 
• United Kingdom: 0.45% 
• France | Japan: 0.22% 
• Germany: 0.15% 

Career Centre of the University of Southern California takes care of the career fairs, internships and job postings on Handshake for its students. Check out more details at the University of Southern California placements. 

Overall, it's a wise decision to choose to study at the University of Southern California for international students. For admission-related queries, students can get in touch with our Shiksha counsellors at - https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/apply.