Yes @collegeodyssey2001 - USC it is. Good luck to all waiting.
D20 also got TE! Congrats to @whodat13 and @hcbcdad!
D20 has a full tuition+ scholarship at another college that she also really likes that would make the costs about the same as USC, so it’s going to be a tough decision for her.
Way to go, @VryCnfsd. Let us know D20’s final decision.
So I’m a bit perplexed based on this year’s reports of USC TE and their reported stats. We have four out of five posters on this thread who received TE for Fall 2020 admission (five if you count @whodat13’s friend). That’s over 80% acceptance rate, which is in direct contradiction of both the 11-20% posted rate and 16% rate the USC TE rep provided. I am now suspecting that the 16% rate the USC rep provided was merely the overall acceptance rate of applicants (she would not clarify this when I directly asked, and merely referred me back to an FAQ document). So the opaqueness of the process continues. At least most got it who really intend to use it on this thread. I’ll see if I can find another USC source before next year who might be more forthcoming. In the meantime, I will shortly post something as requested re: those receiving TE + merit. Congrats to all USC TE recipients again!
S20 received congratulations email this afternoon!! We have been anxiously waiting for this the whole week. Hope this is not sent out by alphabetical order…my last name starts with Z. Best of luck for all those still waiting!!
S20 is non-NMS and no other scholarship other than 3.8k ‘university scholarship.’
honestly it prolly is by alphabetical order i assume. if not they release the top people first 2 days, wait a day wednesday to see if people refuse it, then send out the next ones thursday and friday. Either way the waiting game was bad for my stress levels
But it could also just be survey bias. That those who don’t end up getting it don’t post about it.
My last name begins with N.
Hooray and congratulations to all of you! I hadn’t checked this thread for the past couple of days and I’m so very happy to see so many with good news 
As requested offline, I am posting specific information that applies to those students receiving USC TE and merit aid as a clarification to a recent post under the “Tuition Exchange - Fall 2019 Apps for Fall 2020 Frosh” thread regarding whether those students are limited to on-campus housing in order to benefit from USC TE stacking with merit awards up to $8000 (more with university/college/departmental awards). I’m posting it to this thread for future USC TE/merit aid recipients and for @whodat13 in particular…
As background, per another CC post at this link http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/22642066#Comment_22642066
@Anamgol stated that, "USC covered full tuition plus housing (about $9K-10K) and 1K extra for various fees. … The only caveat is that S or D will have to live on campus for all 4 years as USC will not cover for off-campus housing. "
Since I have two TE + merit scholars, one of whom had signed a lease for an off-campus apartment, I was worried she may have forgone her TE & merit aid that exceeded tuition. I had her email Financial Aid to confirm their policy last month, which appears to have changed since @Anamgol’s S attended USC.
Please find the correspondence below, confirming that TE + Merit recipients CAN live in off-campus housing without losing any merit/TE funds as long as an eRefund account is set up to deposit the amounts owed beyond tuition.
Begin forwarded message:
From: USC Office of Financial Aid fao@mailmw.custhelp.com
Date: March 19, 2020 at 1:11:51 PM CDT
To: [deleted]
Subject: Coordinating Tuition Exchange and Merit Scholarships with Non-University Housing
USC Logo
Subject
Coordinating Tuition Exchange and Merit Scholarships with Non-University Housing
Dear [deleted],
If your [merit] awards exceed what’s on the bill, then those awards will be refunded to you by the Cashier’s office (assuming that you will not be billed for housing and dining). You should set up your eRefunds account as soon as you are able to for a smoother process.
If you plan on living off-campus at an apartment, then your housing and dining budgets should remain the same on the cost of attendance breakdown. We may or may not ask for a copy of your rent/lease agreement, though it is best to have it handy if we do request it.
Sincerely,
USC Financial Aid Office
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0911
Tel: 213.740.4444
financialaid.usc.edu | askUSC | USC iGrad
Hello,
I am currently a first-year student who received a Trustee Scholarship, Tuition Exchange Scholarship and University Scholarship. Before I undertook my housing search this year, I inquired about how off-campus housing would affect my scholarships which allow combining my merit scholarships with Tuition Exchange “provided that scholarship awards do not exceed full tuition by $8000… Other awards designated for general educational expenses (including room and board) may be combined with these scholarships, provided your total scholarship funds do not exceed the USC total cost of attendance, as determined by the Financial Aid Office.”*
When I reached out to Financial Aid by phone earlier this year to see how my off-campus housing would work with the combining of awards, I was told that if I wanted to live off-campus, I should set up an eRefund account and that I would receive the $8000+ exceeding full tuition through my eRefund account (for acceptable cost of attendance amounts for room and board) that I could use to pay my off-campus rent and food costs. Could you please confirm that this is how the refund process will work for my combined scholarship amounts in excess of full tuition? In other words, could you confirm that on-campus housing is not required for receiving the full benefit of my combined scholarships, which allow for $8000+ over full tuition. Also, do I need to provide proof of my off-campus lease or rental amounts? Finally, by what date should my eRefund account be set up for disbursement for Fall 2020 amounts?
Thank you in advance,
[Name deleted]
"Coordinating USC Merit Scholarships with Funds from Other USC Sources
Trustee, Presidential, Mork Family, Stamps, Leadership, Deans and Associates Scholarships
These scholarships are mutually exclusive. If you are awarded more than one, you will receive only the one with the greatest value. The relative value of these scholarships is based on the cost of flatrate tuition (which covers 12-18 units per semester) for eight semesters (10 semesters for students in the five-year Bachelor of Architecture program).
Other awards designated only for tuition may be combined with these merit-based scholarships, provided your total scholarship funds do not exceed your USC tuition by more than $8,000.
Other awards designated for general educational expenses (including room and board) may be combined with these scholarships, provided your total scholarship funds do not exceed the USC total cost of attendance, as determined by the Financial Aid Office.
Tuition Assistance Benefits & Tuition Exchange
If you receive USC tuition assistance benefits or a tuition exchange scholarship, you may also receive a USC Merit Scholarship, provided your combined award amount does not exceed your USC tuition by more than $8,000. Your merit scholarship or tuition grant may be reduced in order to stay within this limit."
SOURCE: https://admission.usc.edu/admitted-students/scholarship-guide-archive/
Question Reference # 200319-002444
@CollegeOdyssey2001 - any idea of how many TE applicants USC receives? And how many they take? I have a S21 who will be a NMF, and we are eligible for TE via my husband’s college — just want to figure out my son’s odds. Thanks for any insight.