<p>For outside scholarships, yes, the general policy is that they can be applied to loans and work/study before reducing grants. (There are some exceptions, though.)The Trustee and Presidential are not outside scholarships, they are USC scholarships and are awarded before financial aid offers are made, so they reduce need.</p>
<p>Last year, many posters reported getting a “University Scholarship” from USC in April. I received one of those (after my financial aid offer was made) and it replaced my work/study award. I also had some outside scholarships that they applied to my subsidized loans. My Presidential scholarship, however, replaced part of my grants - it was part of my aid offer that included subsidized loans and work/study. (This is very difficult to explain coherently!)</p>
<p>Your award and results may be very different, because your info and situation is different. USC is known for being very generous with financial aid.</p>