Undergraduate Admission

Spring Grades Request for Transfer Applicants

If you are a current transfer applicant and have received a request for your spring-term grades, please wait until all grades are finalized before uploading an unofficial transcript to your USC Applicant Portal for review. Admission decisions will continue to be released through mid-July as these grades are received by our office.

Admission letters and certificates will be mailed following the release of admission decisions online.

Research

Ranked among the top universities in federally supported research, USC remains dedicated to excellence in scholarly research that advances human knowledge. Undergraduate students are able to take advantage of self-directed or faculty-led research as soon as their first year. Most of USC’s academic units offer funding for undergraduate research, whether through a formal program — such as those listed below — or through other means of financial support.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Research happens across all schools at USC — from Communication to Engineering to Dance — and students find numerous ways to get involved in undergraduate research, whether through specific schools or through one of USC’s more than 270 research institutes and centers. Most often, students will approach a faculty member about assisting with their research. Alternatively, they can complete a self-directed 490 Directed Research project under the tutelage of a faculty member. Here is where you can find just a few examples of undergraduate research being undertaken by current USC students:

Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

USC Wrigley Institute on Catalina Island (Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences)

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Medical Preceptorship Program (Pre-Med Students)

Space Engineering Research Center in the Viterbi School of Engineering

 

Funding Sources

These are just a few of the funding sources available to undergraduate students pursuing research:

  • Dornsife College Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
  • Summer Humanities Undergraduate Research Experience (SHURE)

A limited number of undergraduate fellowships support full-time research in any area of study, on campus, across the country, or around the world, under the direction of USC faculty. Learn more

 

Student Opportunities for Academic Research (SOAR)

SOAR supports undergraduate students who wish to work as research assistants on faculty projects or to pursue their own original research during the academic year. Learn more

USC Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fellowships

A limited number of fellowships are available for undergraduate research each academic year. Undergraduate students receive a stipend of $1,000 (fall and spring) or $3,000 (summer). Learn more

USC Undergraduate Research Associates Program (URAP)

URAP provides resources that allow faculty to integrate undergraduate students into their scholarly and professional activities, including the pursuit of research. Learn more

“My work at USC Keck inspired me to pursue oncological research. USC inspires me to provide service to my community.”

Ishaani Pradeep, New Milford, Connecticut

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Each year, the Undergraduate Symposium offers student scholars the chance to present their original research or creative works to the university community. Learn more

 

 

Discovery Scholars

This distinction celebrates and honors USC students who have demonstrated academic excellence in the pursuit of research or the creation of their own original artistic works. Learn more

Statistics

$956 million

Annual sponsored research for 2020-21

$1 billion

Research expenditures for 2023-24

270+

Research Centers and Institutes

23

Libraries

To learn more about projects housed in the Office of Research and Innovation, visit research.usc.edu.