USC Class of 2029 — Regular & Early Action Decisions

Colleges & Universities University of Southern California
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This new thread is for any and all types of USC questions for students applying during the fall/winter of 2024 to be freshman for the 2025 - 2026 school year. The USC College Confidential community looks forward to helping everyone through this exciting (and stressful) process.

The USC website has a wealth of information, please really read through it closely, it’s all there! We are here to answer questions that remain and of course, calling USC admissions is a great resource as well, they are there to help you!

There is so much great info on the website, please read it thoroughly before you apply:

What does USC look for?
It’s certainly more than stats, it’s about you being you. They love individuality and passion.

And just a couple years ago, USC started offering Early Admission:

Applicants selecting Early Action will be notified of their admission or deferral to Regular Decision in mid- to late January 2025.

Applying by the Early Action (EA) deadline enables you to plan for college earlier, should you be accepted during this round of application reviews. It also ensures that you will be considered for USC Merit Scholarships. Early Action (EA) is non-binding, non-restrictive, and is not available for majors requiring a portfolio or audition. Students choosing to apply under USC’s Early Action (EA) plan will need to submit their application materials earlier in the process but will receive an admission decision (or deferral to Regular Decision) sooner than Regular Decision applicants.

USC recommends this option for those who have thoroughly researched their college options and have settled on USC as their top choice. 20-25% of admission spaces will be granted during the EA round.

Just a reminder, the following programs do not participate in EA:

Iovine and Young Academy
Kaufman School of Dance
Roski School of Art and Design
School of Architecture
School of Cinematic Arts
School of Dramatic Arts
Thornton School of Music
World Bachelor of Business (Marshall School of Business)

Please review the majors that EA applies to - familiarize yourself with the deadlines for your major!

If serious about USC and you haven’t been to campus, try to do so if possible for you. You can visit on tours anytime or wait till the mad rush of admitted student days in April.

Visit USC - USC

If you can’t visit, there is plenty of info online, but to feel the vibe it’s great to be on campus if possible.

Fun facts:

-USC’s acceptance rate for the 2023-24 application season is 9.2%. The University offered admission to 7,550 out of more than 82,000 applicants

-21K undergrads, 26K grad and professional for 47K student poplulation (it’s a big machine)!

-The middle 50-percent average GPA (unweighted) was 3.79-4.00

-Most representated states are CA, NY, TX, ILL, NJ, WA, Oregon

-Over 12K students are from other countries

-USC COA IS $95k+

USC is certainly competitive, but it an amazing college experience if you are lucky enough to attend. @lkg4answers, @WWWard and I wish you the best through the application process. We have been through this process - more than once - and are here to help where we can, even if just being supportive through your process.

Start getting involved by following USC Admission’s social media sites to keep up with dates and goings on at USC. And of course USC Football this fall!

Good luck Class of 2029 and Fight On!

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USC admissions will be on the road in the next couple of months. You can register on their website, Discover USC Off Campus

8/31/24 Mumbai, India
9/1/24 New Delhi, India
9/5/24 Beijing, China
9/7/24 Shanghai, China
9/7/24 Houston, TX
9/8/24 Dallas, Tx
9/14/24 Honolulu, HI
9/15/24 London, UK
9/21/24 Santa Clara, CA
9/21/24 Seattle, WA
10/5/24 Boston, MA
10/6/24 Chicago, IL
10/6/24 New York, NY
10/12/24 Coral Gables, FL
10/12/24 Washington DC
10/13/24 Atlanta, GA
10/13/24 Philadelphia, PA
10/20/24 Los Angeles, CA - Discover USC Open House

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How does the choice of major affect an applicant’s admission chances? Which majors are the most competitive? If they aren’t admitted to the top two majors stated in the application, could they be admitted to a less competitive major?

Also, is there any advantage to having a sibling who currently attends USC?

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Is it recommended that students reach out to the counselor listed when they type their high school? We live on the other side of the country so my child is not likely to visit unless accepted. Thanks.

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Discover USC is in several towns throughout the US. If they are in your area, I would make an effort to attend. Likewise, if the admissions counselor visits your student’s school, I would make sure they attend and introduce themselves to the counselor. Discover USC Off Campus

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Thank you for this! We are attending a DC event next month.

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Great! Will you make sure to come back and share how it went?

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We were at the DC event today, & it was fantastic. It was very informative.

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That’s good to hear. How many representatives from USC were there and approximately how many attendees?

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The Dean of Admissions & the DC/MD admissions rep was there along with someone from financial aid, and maybe about 7 of the colleges? I’m terrible at estimating attendance but it was held in a small auditorium and it was full. We attended the overview session, then met with someone from dornsife in a smaller presentation. It definitely was informative & also increased our senior’s excitement about USC (which we keep reminding her definitely has a low chance of admittance!)

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That’s great! Last month you asked if students should reach out to the admissions counselor. Did your student get a chance to talk the the counselor?

This would be an appropriate time to send an email thanking the counselor (and the Dornslife people) and have your student express that they are very interested in USC.

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my kid is applying to USC for EA. for major selection, she is interested in psychology, but her GPA might not be strong enough to make it an target. What alternate major that is related to this would be a good choice ? And does the chances of admission increase if we select another major within the same college or letter and science (we are thinking about health and human sciences). please advise. thanks

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Our kid just pressed “SUBMIT” for EA for USC! We’re hoping to take a self guided tour in December. What’s the recommendations for other things to do to let UCS know… this is the school they want!?

Also, Trustee Scholarship is the goal (yes, we’re aware how competitive it is!) Are there recommendations as to how to help express commitment/interest during the process? Finally, with people in the know, how important are submitting test scores for Trustee Scholarship or is it truly a holistic process?

Thank you!

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Congratulations! Whether or not to submit test scores depends on the scores and major.

Once your application is submitted, there is nothing you can do to market yourself for the Trustee scholarship. In fact, some might argue that the use that scholarship to entice students that they think might go elsewhere. In that case, for the scholarship, telling them that they are your #1 might work against you.

My suggestion would be to attend webinars offered by the department/major. Be engaged and ask questions that a student might ask if they were comparing USC to other schools.

When you visit, I would try to do the campus tour as well as the department tour. Same thing. Be engaged but don’t gush.

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Is anyone aware of data released on % EA-deferred who are accepted in RD? Does having applied EA have any bearing, such as showing interest/re: yield, on chances in RD? I guess I’m just wondering whether not applying EA hurts in RD.

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See the student profile below - 1,791 accepted from the 34,523 deferred to RD.

What We Look For - Undergraduate Admission

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Thank you! I don’t know why I didn’t think to look at that document.

Ok… here is what I have for acceptance rates
EA 7%
EA-deferred-to-RD 5%
RD 8%

applied EA and accepted either in EA or RD, 11.5%

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Is it possible to get merit aid if we didnt apply EA??