Next Steps Fall

Commitment Deadlines:

First-year students: May 1

Transfer students: June 1 (or within two weeks of receiving your admission letter)

Submit the Admit Reply Form

To accept our offer of admission and reserve your place in the incoming class, you must submit the Admit Reply form online in your applicant portal.

A deposit of $300, or a deposit waiver, is required by the deadline listed for your class. We cannot guarantee your space in the class if you submit your enrollment commitment deposit after the deadline. The deposit is nonrefundable and will be applied to your fall 2025 tuition and fees.

Deposit waiver: If financial hardship prevents you from submitting the deposit, you may select a waiver when submitting the online reply form.

If you have questions, please contact your USC Admission Counselor. You may also call the Office of Admission at (213) 740-1111 or email us by visiting ask.usc.edu and clicking on the “Email Us” link at the top of the page.

New Transfer Admits

Visit our Transfer Admit FAQ page.

Not Enrolling at USC?

If you do not intend to enroll at USC, please let us know by visiting your applicant portal and declining your offer of admission on the Admit Reply form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to commonly asked questions and learn more about enrolling at USC.

Financial Aid Application Deadline: ASAP

Visit our “Manage Your Finances” page and the Financial Aid website to learn more about completing your financial aid application and funding your USC education.

To view the status of your financial aid application, visit your  Financial Aid Summary and Tasks (FAST) portal.

Housing Application Deadline: ASAP

You may apply for housing even if you have not yet committed to enroll at USC. Housing assignments are made during the summer on a first-come, first-served basis, so students who plan to enroll at USC are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Visit the USC Housing website to review housing options available to you as an incoming student, submit your housing application online and participate in the optional roommate matching process.

First-year students must apply by May 1, 2025. If you have additional questions, feel free to email housing@usc.edu for assistance.

Transfer students may also apply for USC housing, but space is extremely limited. We recommend that admitted transfer students explore other housing options as well.

Special Accommodations

If you have a disability and would like more information about academic and/or housing accommodations, please visit the Office of Student Accessibility Services.

1 to 2 days after submitting your Enrollment Commitment

After activating your USC NetID, you will be able to access a wide array of online services and resources, including your USC email, which is the university’s official means of communication. Information about registering for orientation, described below, will be sent to your USC email only.

Orientation Sign-Up Deadline: Beginning in April
After submitting your Admit Reply form

Welcome Trojans Orientation – Summer 2025

We encourage all new students admitted to the fall semester to participate in the summer Welcome Trojans hybrid orientation program. Welcome Trojans connects new students and their families to the campus community through an inclusive online and in-person experience that enriches their transition into the university and the Trojan Family. 

The hybrid orientation experience comprises course registration and student engagement programs. All students will complete academic advising and course registration online. 

Student engagement programs will be available online or on campus throughout summer.

Invitations to Welcome Trojans orientation will be emailed beginning in April to all incoming first-year and transfer students who have submitted their Admit Reply form. Reservations are required and students will have the ability to include a guest when they register. For more information, please refer to the  Orientation website. 

Note for all new international students:
Welcome Trojans orientation programs are separate from the Immigration Status Verification (ISV) process. ISV is a mandatory online check-in procedure that verifies an international student’s entry into the U.S., as well as their immigration status. It does not restrict them from participating in and attending Welcome Trojans events or registering for courses online. 

You will be required to complete Immigration Status Verification (ISV) with the Office of International Services (OIS) upon your arrival for the fall 2025 term.

Academic Records Submission Deadline:

First-Year Students: July 1

Transfer Students: ASAP

All newly admitted students should have their final high school and/or official college transcripts, as well as standardized exam scores, sent to USC. This ensures that you receive proper transfer credit for any completed college-level coursework. It will also allow your academic advisor to help plan your course of study at USC.

To see how your previous college coursework may transfer to USC, we also encourage you to view our Transfer Credit Resources page.

Transcripts

E-transcripts must be submitted by your school. Transcripts uploaded or sent by students are not considered official.

First-year students: Have your school send the Office of Admission a final, official transcript showing the date of your high school graduation. A photocopy of your high school diploma is not sufficient. The deadline is July 1. We understand that some students attending schools outside the U.S. may have difficulty meeting this deadline, so USC extends a grace period for the submission of final transcripts to this population. However, these students will not be permitted to continue their USC enrollment beyond the first semester if the requirement remains unsatisfied.

Transfer students: Have all colleges and universities send official transcripts showing final grades as soon as your current term is complete and grades are available.

If your school requires an email address for transcript submission, please use uetrans@usc.edu. If your school does not support the electronic submission of transcripts, please have your transcripts mailed to the Office of Undergraduate Admission in an official envelope from the school, with the seal and any other security features intact. Physical transcripts can be mailed to the following address:

USC Office of Admission
Undergraduate
University Park Campus
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0911

Transfer Credit Earned Prior to High School Graduation

Undergraduate students may receive a combined maximum of 32 elective units for AP, IB and/or A-Level examinations, as well as select college courses taken before high school graduation. Standardized exam results should be submitted electronically to USC.

Restrictions apply, and not all courses will meet USC’s criteria for credit.

Review the Exam Credit page on the Registrar’s website for more information.

Senior-Year and Final-Term Grades

Your admission to USC is conditional on your continued achievement at the same level of academic performance. In some cases, you may have specific conditions of admission. The Office of Admission carefully reviews all final transcripts. If your senior-year or final-term grades decline or you have not met your specific conditions of admission, we will contact you. In the most serious cases, offers of admission may be rescinded. If you have questions or concerns you wish to bring to our attention, please contact your USC Admission Counselor.

International Coursework

First-year students: First-year students must provide one official copy of all records of academic coursework, in their native language. Records must be sent directly from the school and be accompanied by a certified English translation.

Transfer students: Transfer students who have completed coursework at institutions outside the U.S. should contact the International Education Research Foundation for a “Detail Report with Course Level Identification.” IERF will evaluate your documents and transmit a report directly to USC. USC will then complete a transfer credit evaluation.

Transfer Credit Reports (TCR)

After we receive your enrollment commitment deposit and complete, official transcripts of all your college or university work, as well as AP, IB and/or A-Level exam scores, USC will provide a transfer credit report (TCR) summarizing the degree credit awarded for your transfer courses. This report will be essential for helping you and your academic advisor plan your coursework at USC.

Transfer credit reports will be available online at my.usc.edu after your commitment deposit is received. Your TCR will be updated throughout the summer as official transcripts and exam scores are reported, and it will be finalized by the time you attend orientation.

USC students represent over 130 countries around the world. International students make up nearly a quarter of our entire student population.

Visas

To be eligible to study at USC, international students need to have a valid non-immigrant visa status. The F-1 visa is the most common student visa and is issued to full-time students enrolled in an academic degree program at USC.

I-20 Form
To apply for the F-1 visa, students must first receive their USC I-20, a four-page form issued by the Office of Admission with a USC official’s signature on page 1.

I-20s are available to admitted students who have committed to enroll at USC and have submitted their commitment deposit.

To receive your I-20:
Log in to Trojan International and submit the “New F-1 Student Request” e-form located in the “Admission” section. New undergraduate students should request an “Initial I-20.”

Upload your financial statement, along with supporting documentation and a copy of your passport, even if you already submitted these during the admission process. You will need to upload new documents, as the Office of Admission will not be able to provide you with previously submitted copies.

Students currently attending a U.S. school on F-1 status:
Follow these instructions for transferring your SEVIS record to USC. Submit the “New F-1 Student Request” e-form in Trojan International and request a “Transfer I-20.”

More Information:
Guidelines for preparing documents: Trojan International Checklist
General information: Admission I-20 Processing
Acceptable financial documentation: Guidelines for Financial Support

English Language Proficiency and Testing

Students who were asked to demonstrate English proficiency in the application review process and who did not submit a valid, USC-approved English Language Proficiency exam are required to sit for the International Student Exam (ISE) through USC’s American Language Institute (ALI) later this summer. Students who submitted a valid, USC-approved English Language Proficiency exam do not need to sit for the ISE exam. Even if you applied test-optional, we strongly encourage you to submit one of USC’s approved exams—including the SAT or ACT—to waive this English placement test before orientation.

Transcripts

Transfer students who have completed coursework at institutions outside the U.S. need to contact the International Education Research Foundation (IERF) to have their coursework evaluated.