First-Year Students

Dates and Deadlines

Application Deadline: November 1

Early Action (EA) is non-binding and non-restrictive.

EA applicants will be considered for USC Merit Scholarships.

EA applicants will be notified of their admission or option to defer to Regular Decision in late January.

Note: Performing arts programs are not participating in EA and ED. These include programs in the USC Kaufman School of Dance, USC School of Dramatic Arts, and USC Thornton School of Music. Students applying to these majors by the December 1 Regular Decision deadline will be considered for USC Merit Scholarships (see below).
Application Deadline: November 1

Students who are sure that USC is their first choice, and are prepared to make a commitment to attend, can apply Early Decision (ED) to USC.

In addition to submitting the items on the Application Checklist, students must also submit an ED agreement.

ED is binding. Students may not apply ED to any other college or university and, if admitted, must enroll at USC and withdraw any outstanding applications to other schools.

ED applicants will be considered for USC Merit Scholarships.

ED applicants will be notified of their admission or option to defer to Regular Decision by mid-December.

Note: Performing arts programs are not participating in EA and ED. These include programs in the USC Kaufman School of Dance, USC School of Dramatic Arts, and USC Thornton School of Music. Students applying to these majors by the December 1 Regular Decision deadline will be considered for USC Merit Scholarships (see below).
Application Deadline: December 1

Students applying to select majors must apply Regular Decision by the December 1 deadline. Candidates applying to these programs by December 1 will be considered for USC Merit Scholarships.

This is the only deadline for students applying to majors in the following schools:

Kaufman School of Dance

School of Dramatic Arts

Thornton School of Music

Regular Decision applicants will be notified of a decision by April 1.
Application Deadline: January 10

Final first-year deadline for majors that do not have a December 1 deadline.

Regular Decision applicants will be notified of a decision by April 1.
Early Decision Deadline: November 1, 2026
Early Action Deadline: November 15, 2026
Regular Decision Deadline: February 3, 2027

Applicants who wish to be considered for need-based financial aid must submit the FAFSA* and CSS Profile applications.

*Undocumented or DACA students should submit their 2025 tax return instead of the FAFSA.

Cal Grant Application Deadline: March 2, 2027
California residents should apply for Cal Grants by this date.

Visit our Financial Aid page for more information. To check on the status of your financial aid application, visit your Financial Aid Summary and Tasks (FAST) portal.

Extensions for application deadlines are considered on a case-by-case basis. Students who are unable to meet the published deadlines should contact their admission counselor to request an extension.

Deadline FAQs

Visit our Deadline FAQs for answers to commonly asked questions.

Application Checklist

1

Submit the Common Application.

If the application fee poses a financial burden, you may request a fee waiver through the “Profile” section of the Common Application.
2

For students who submit test scores, USC records the highest scores from tests taken more than once. The highest scores for each section of the SAT and ACT exams will be recorded, even if achieved in different sittings. Find answers to questions you may have about how our test-optional policy will affect your application.

We require official test scores sent from the testing agencies for those who choose to submit them as a part of their application. We do not accept self-reported scores.

Our SAT school code is 4852.
Our ACT school code is 0470.
3

First-year applicants should submit official transcripts of all high school and college coursework completed.
4

One letter is required from either your school counselor or a teacher from your school. Some programs may require additional letters of recommendation. Refer to the Additional Application Requirements section below for more information.
5

Provide a portfolio, a résumé and/or additional writing samples, if required by your intended major. Performance majors may also require auditions. Refer to the Additional Application Requirements section below for more information.
6

Use the “Mid-Year Report” form included in the Common Application or visit your applicant portal to submit your fall grades.
7

Affirmations will be available in the portal after we receive your application. You will receive an email notifying you to log in to your portal to complete it. Your digital signature may be submitted after the application deadline.
8

International applicants, including those already residing in the United States, are required to submit the “Financial Statement of Personal or Family Support” and, if applicable, English-proficiency exam scores at the time of application.

Please refer to the International Students page for additional information.

Additional Application Requirements

If you are applying to a major in any of the schools listed below, it is your responsibility to complete your application by the appropriate deadline. Unless otherwise noted, all deadlines are the same as those listed in the Dates and Deadlines section. Be sure to obtain any required supplementary forms and to fulfill all departmental requirements.

Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Iovine and Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation

USC School of Architecture

Roski School of Art and Design

USC School of Cinematic Arts

Kaufman School of Dance

USC School of Dramatic Arts

Viterbi School of Engineering

Thornton School of Music

Marshall School of Business (World Bachelor in Business)

Home-Schooled Students

Home-schooled applicants must also submit answers to the home-school questions on the “Common Application Secondary School Report.” Be sure to include information about your home-schooling philosophy, curricular choices and textbooks used. Although the application process is test-optional, we still find it helpful to have work from home-schooled students that is externally graded or examined. Therefore, we recommend submitting either SAT/ACT results, AP exam results, or transcripts from college courses or other accredited online schooling programs, if possible.

Interviews

USC does not conduct admission interviews, nor do we track any form of demonstrated interest in our process. Prospective students are welcome to contact their USC admission counselor with any questions about the admission process. To learn more, please visit our Find Your Counselor page.

International students interested in providing additional evidence of English-language ability should visit our Additional Requirements page for more information.

Undocumented and DACA Students

Information for undocumented and DACA students can be found on our Immigration & DACA Status page.

USC Scholarships are administered consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Recipients are chosen without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited characteristic.