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University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California | Estd in 1880 | Private University
THE Rank : 65 | QS Rank : 134
About University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC) is a prominent private research university in the USA. It offers 150+ majors in undergraduate and 400 courses in graduate programmes across its 23 schools and academic divisions such as Marshall School of Business, Viterbi School of Engineering, Gould School of Law, and Keck School of Medicine to name a few. The University is a member of the American InterContinental University System which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Southern California University is among the best schools in film, design, and performing arts. Its School of Cinematic Arts has produced more Academy and Emmy award winners than any other institute in the world. The university has also produced 11 Rhodes and 12 Marshall Scholars, 10 Nobel laureates including the Physicist Murray Gell-Mann, 6 MacArthur Fellows, and a Turing Award winner. Other popular USC courses include Business, Management, and Marketing; Social Sciences; Communication, and Journalism; and Engineering, and it is one of the top Computer Science universities in the USA for international students.
Southern California University's acceptance rate is around 13% making admittance for international students a bit difficult. English language requirements for international students include good scores in IELTS/TOEFL along with GRE, and GMAT for PG courses whereas SAT or ACT (optional) for UG. Undergraduate admissions to USC usually happen in Early action and regular action modes, with deadlines in Early November and mid-January every year, whereas Graduate course deadlines are specific to each course. The University of Southern California’s rankings are 116th in the QS and 74th in THE for 2024.
USC is home to 49,000+ students, out of which 13,000+ are international students from over 135 countries. Spread over 300 acres, Southern California University’s main campus is located in the centre of Los Angeles, United States. It also has three more campuses at Alhambra, Sacramento, and Washington D.C. The university campuses are well-equipped with various facilities including accommodations, libraries, wifi connectivity, scholarships, counselling services, and much more.
Also Read: Top Public Universities in the USA
University of Southern California Highlights
- Domestic: 16973
- International: 3726
University of Southern California Ranking and Stats
Parametric Score and Ranking 2023
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University of Southern California Courses
Accreditation
University of Southern California Cost Of Living
The University of Southern California tuition fee for international students is estimated to be $31,734.00 per semester for undergraduate (12–18 units) and graduate studies (15–18 units). The university calculates tuition fees on the basis of per-unit credit ($2,137.00). The academic load is generally 16 units per semester for undergraduate and 8 units per semester for graduate students, and students are required to attend a minimum of 128 total units for the UG programmes. The actual tuition fee may vary with the course/s and credits attended by the students.
Is it expensive to study at the University of Southern California?
Compared to most American cities, the cost of living in Los Angeles is usually higher than the national average. The University of Southern California recommends international students budget around $90,921 per academic year (two semesters) including tuition fees. Also, students have to submit a financial declaration supporting the same at the time of applying to the university. The University of Southern California’s cost of living is listed in the table below.
Related Article: Cost of Studying MS in The USA
Full-Time Undergraduate Living Costs 2023-2024
Expenses | Cost per Two Semesters |
Tuition | $66,640 |
Fees | $1,597 |
Food | $7,290 |
Housing | $11,910 |
Study Materials | $1,200 |
Transportation | $464 |
Personal | $1,820 |
Source: Official Website
University of Southern California Admission and Application
The University of Southern California's acceptance rate is only 13% (unofficial sources) indicating the highly selective nature of admissions. As of fall 2022, USC California has only accepted 10% of the total applications and the average GPA of admitted students was between 3.82-4.00. Hence, applicants are required to have a strong academic record to get admitted to USC. International applicants can apply through Common Application for UG and the University’s Online Application Portal for Graduate admissions.
How to apply to the University of Southern California?
The applicants must follow the given steps in order to apply to the University of Southern California.
Undergraduate Admission
Go to the official website of the university at usc.edu.
Click on the Menu tab given on the top right of the Home page.
Click on Admission and Aid, and then click on the Undergraduate Admission.
The Undergraduate Admission page will open.
Now, click on the ‘Apply’ link given at the bottom right.
Now, sign in to create an account as a new applicant.
Login credentials will be sent via the registered email of the applicant.
Use the credentials to log into the common application portal and fill out the application.
Upload all the supporting documents (scanned and PDF).
Pay the application fee and submit the application.
Graduate Admission
Go to the official website of the university at usc.edu.
Click on the Menu tab given on the top right of the Home page.
Click on Admission and Aid, and then click on the Graduate Admission.
The Graduate Admission page will open.
Now, click on the menu bar given at the top right, next to the search bar.
Click on ‘Apply to USC’, which will directly open the application portal for Graduate admission.
Now, sign in to create an account as a new applicant.
Login credentials will be sent via the registered email of the applicant.
Use the credentials to log into the application portal and fill out the application.
Upload all the supporting documents (scanned and PDF).
Pay the application fee and submit the application.
Documents Required for UG Admission
Secondary School (class 10th) and Higher Secondary School (class 12th) Certificates from CBSE/ICSE Boards.
Academic Transcripts of all high schools.
One letter of recommendation from either a school counselor or a school teacher.
School of Cinematic Arts requires two letters of recommendation.
English Proficiency Test Scores (IELTS/TOEFL/PTE/DTE).
Documents Required for Graduate Admission
Official diploma(s)/degree certificate(s) along with official semester-by-semester mark sheets.
Academic Transcripts of college work completed.
Requirements of the statement of purpose, recommendations, writing samples, creative portfolio, etc are course-specific.
GRE or GMAT scorecard as per the programme requirement.
English Proficiency Test Scores (IELTS/TOEFL/PTE).
Other documents as per the requirement of the selected degree programme.
Undergraduate Course Deadlines 2024 (Tentative)
Early Action | November 1, 2023 |
Regular Decision | January 15, 2024 |
Transfer Students | December 1, 2023 February 15, 2024 |
LLM | Spring 2024– November 1, 2023 Fall 2024– June 1, 2024 |
Graduate Course Deadlines 2024
Spring | September 15, 2023 |
Fall | December 15, 2023 |
University of California Application Fees
Course Level | Fees | Mode of Application |
Undergraduate Courses | $85 (6,974 INR) | Common Application |
Graduate Courses | $90 (7,384 INR) | USC Graduate Application Portal |
MBA Courses | NA | USC Graduate Application Portal |
University of Southern California Scholarship
University of Southern California does not offer any need-based scholarships, or federal grants to international students. However, they are eligible for merit scholarships and/or other departmental awards. International students can also apply for some private loans with a qualified co-signer who is a U.S. citizen. Some of the prominent scholarships offered by USC are mentioned below.
Asian Pacific Alumni Association Scholarship- Master’s
Mork Family Scholarship- UG Business Programmes
Trustee Scholarships- UG Computers & Engineering Programmes, Business Programmes
Stamps Scholarship- UG Business Programmes
Presidential Scholarships- UG Computers & Engineering Programmes
USC Associates Scholarships- UG Computers & Engineering Programmes
Also Read: Scholarships in the USA
University of Southern California Eligibility
The University of Southern California’s eligibility criteria may vary as per the course requirements, hence applicants can explore the degree programmes and check their eligibility. However, the common eligibility criteria for Indian applicants across various degree programmes are listed here.
Must have completed Senior Secondary School (class 12th) with a minimum aggregate score of 80% (primarily A1 and A2 grades).
4-year Bachelor's degree or Master’s degree (for 3-year Bachelor's degree holders) from an institution recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Minimum GPA requirements may vary.
SAT or ACT are optional for the 2024-25 session.
GMAT or GRE score requirements are course-specific (scores are considered valid only if earned within five years prior to application).
The English language proficiency requirements must be fulfilled.
English Language Proficiency Requirements
International applicants who are not native speakers of the English language are required to prove their proficiency to meet the university requirements. The applicants can demonstrate their proficiency through English proficiency tests such as IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE that are accepted at the University of Southern California. The tests must be taken within the last two years prior to the application and USC must receive these scores directly from the testing agency via email for them to be considered official.
The applicants can get this requirement waived if they hold a bachelor’s degree completed in the United States or another English-speaking country. Otherwise, the international students have to meet this requirement as mentioned in the table below.
University of Southern California English Proficiency requirements for international students
TOEFL institution code: 4852
Tests/Minimum Overall Scores | Bachelor’s | Master’s | Ph.D. |
TOEFL iBT | 100 | 90 | 100 |
7.0 | 6.5 | 7.0 | |
68 | 61 | 68 | |
Duolingo English Test (DET) | 130 | - | - |
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section | 650 | - | - |
ACT English section | 27 | - | - |
University of Southern California Campus Facilities
Library
University of Southern California Los Angeles libraries are one of the oldest research libraries in California and among the top 35 largest university library systems in the USA. While Edward L. Doheny, Jr. Memorial Library is the main research library, The Leavey is undergraduate library. There are 22 libraries that hold over 4 million printed volumes, 6 million microform items, 13,000 m of manuscripts and archives, and 3 million photographs. University of Southern California has subscriptions to 14,000 print and e-journals, and 120 electronic databases. USC has the famous Warner Bros studio archives.
Sports
University of Southern California sports and athletic teams, called Trojans, are one of the major sports teams in the USA. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as Pac-12 Conference members. Uni of Southern California has sports facilities for both national level athletic competitions as well as recreational students. There are 12 athletic facilities for football, tennis, baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf, boating, swimming and much more. David X. Marks Tennis Stadium is one of the modern tennis facilities in the whole country. Dedeaux Field, McAlister Field, Uytengsu Aquatics Center, Cromwell Field and Loker Stadium are some of the athletic facilities in USC.
Swimming Pool
There are 3 swimming pools in the University of Southern California in the USC Physical Education building and Uytengsu Aquatics Center. Uytengsu Aquatics Center has two pools, a competition pool and a diving pool. It was home to the 1984 Summer Olympics. It is also home to USC Men’s and Women’s Swim & Dive Teams, and USC Water Polo Teams. They are also used for recreational swimming, Club Triathlon and Water Polo Swimming, and masters Swimming.
Competition Pool: 50m x 25yd, Depth from 6.7ft to 13 ft, temperatures ~78-80°F.
Diving Pool: 25yd x 25yd, Depth from 6.7ft to 17 ft, temperatures ~83-85°F
Transport Facility
Transport facilities to travel within or outside the University of Southern California campus include Buses, cars, carpools and van pools, transport through electronic vehicles, car rentals, Free Lyft rides, private partners like Zipcar etc. University of Southern California Los Angeles runs free USC buses on routes between USC’s main campus, the North University Park neighbourhood, the USC Parking Center as well as the USC Health Sciences Campus, and other locations. Similarly free lyft rides are accessible to all the USC students, staff and faculty within the set zones. USC Students can use public transportation in Los Angeles such as Metro, MetroLink, and LADOT at discounted fares.
Parking Facility
Parking is allowed at the University of California USA upon getting necessary permits or parking passes. Parking facilities are available for carpools, cars, electric vehicles, etc. All students of Southern California have to use the parking upon applicable payment of charges that are billed monthly or semester wise. However, there are temporary parking facilities. University of Southern California recommends students to go through the rules of parking to avoid any violations at any point of time.
Cafeteria
Southern California University dining facilities are composed of full service Restaurants, quick Service Locations, and campus dining facilities. Both the University park campus (UPC) and health sciences campus (HSC) comprise adequate outlets. The Lab Gastropub, Moreton Fig, Mckay, The University Club are full service restaurants at the University park campus. Cafeteria at USC include café Annenberg, Coffee bean & Tea leaf, Feritta cafe, Filone’s, Law school Café, Starbucks, Literatea, Tutor Hall Café, etc. Health Sciences Campus has a Starbucks, and Taco-Taco.
University of Southern California International Office Details
The University of Southern California has a total student population of 49,500, out of which 13,056 are international students (2022 data) from over 135 countries. International students make up 26.6% of the total student body. While Southern California University welcomes students from all across the globe, India stands among the top 3 positions with 2,590 students studying at USC.
USC Office of International Services takes care of student VISA in the USA for current and incoming students, provides advice and guidance regarding immigration procedures, finding career employment, and work-while study opportunities, along with information related to accommodation, transportation and other living in the USA support.
Is it hard to get into the University of Southern California?
The University of Southern California's acceptance rate is approximately 13% as per the unofficial sources. For the academic year 2023-2024, the university only admitted about 10% of the total applications (only 8,094 out of 80,808 applications were accepted). This demonstrates the highly selective and competitive admission process of USC. International students who wish to get into the university must possess high academic credentials as it is hard to get into the University of Southern California.
International students can contact USC at the following details.
Mailing Address: USC International Academy, University of Southern California, Davidson Conference Center (DCC), 3415 South Figueroa Street.
Phone No. +1-213-740-0080
Email Address: info-international@usc.edu
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FAQ's
The University of Southern California is among the top universities in the US and ranked 28 out of 439 National Universities by the US News and World Report. The university is known for its School of Cinematic Arts which has produced filmmakers such as George Lucas. USC is also known for its top-ranking business programmes. The university is home to famous personalities like Neil Armstrong, Zac Affron, and Mahira Khan among others.
The University of Southern California’s acceptance rate is approximately 13% which implies that out of 100 applications, only 13 will get accepted. As of fall 2022, USC California has only accepted 10% of the total applications which makes the university highly selective. Hence, international applicants are required to demonstrate a strong academic background in order to get admitted to USC.
Both UCLA and USC are very reputed and highly ranked institutions of the United Nations. While USC is a private research university known for its arts, technology, and business programmes, UCLA is a famous public university with extensive athletics achievements. The GPA requirement for UCLA is 3.4 while that for USC is generally over 3.5. Both have very low acceptance rates of 10.8% and 13% respectively as per the unofficial sources.
The University of Southern California’s admission is highly competitive. Students are required to demonstrate a very good academic record in order to get into the university. The average GPA for 2023 admitted students was between 3.80 and 4.0 on a 4-point scale. This shows that the higher the GPA better the chances.
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