<p>USC has no quota on International admissions. As a private university, they are free to accept whomever they wish. As you can see from the freshman profile linked above, International students are admitted in a slightly higher percentage than they apply (USC actively recruits International students and feels geographic diversity adds to the campus community), so your high school’s counselor’s guess about that does not make sense. If it were true, an International applicant with an unweighted GPA of 3.5 for example - well below the accepted average of 3.8 - would not be considered, yet I have heard of such applicants being admitted. Again, please look at the stas threads link above if you have any doubts about the qualifications of all students admitted to USC.</p>
<p>The major hurdle for International applicants is they must submit a financial form showing they can pay for the cost of attendance before a letter of admission can be sent.</p>