Applying to University of Southern California

80,808

Applicants

10.00%

Acceptance Rate

1510

SAT Median

33

ACT Median

How hard is USC to get into?

University of Southern California (USC) acceptance rate is 10.00% for 2023-2024 admission. A total of 80,808 students applied and 8,081 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is low, making it difficult to get into USC.

USC's acceptance rate is the 5th lowest among 119 California colleges with competitive admission.

The median SAT score is 1510 and the ACT score is 33 at USC. USC's SAT score ranks 5th out of 24 California colleges that consider SAT score for admission.

To apply to USC, recommendations and personal statement (or essay) are required to submit. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2023-24, USC's acceptance rate is 10.00% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 44.99%. 35,879 men and 44,057 women applied to USC and 3,947 men and 3,965 women students were accepted.

Among them, 1,737 men and 1,824 women were enrolled in USC (Fall 2023).

Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics at USC
TotalMenWomenAnother GenderGender Unknown
Applicants80,80835,87944,05700
Admitted8,0813,9473,96500
Enrolled3,6361,7371,82400
Acceptance Rate 10.00%11.00%9.00%--
Yield 44.99%44.01%46.00%--

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: July 3, 2024)

University of Southern California 2023 Acceptance Rate By Gender chart

Median SAT and ACT Score

In 2024, 1,154 students (32% of enrolled) have submitted their SAT scores and 508 students (14%) have submitted their ACT scores for seeking degrees at USC.

The median SAT score is 1,510 with 730 SAT EBRW and 780 SAT Math median scores. The 75th percentile SAT score of EBRW (Evidence-Based Reading / Writing) is 760 and the 25th percentile is 700. The SAT Math 75th percentile score is 790 and 25th percentile is 740 .

The median ACT composite score is 33 with 75th percentile score of 35 and 25th percentile score of 32 at USC. The median ACT math score is 33 and the ACT English score is 35.

How competitive is USC's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at University of Southern California are similar to the average score compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,492, ACT: 33 - private (not-for-profit) research university with very high research activity).

The institutional SAT code for USC is 4852 and 4-digt code ACT code is 0470.

2024 SAT and ACT Scores at USC
25th Percentile50th Percentile (Median)75th Percentile
SAT Total1,4401,5101,550
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing700730760
SAT Math740780790
ACT Composite323335
ACT Math303335
ACT English343535

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: July 3, 2024)

University of Southern California 2023 SAT and ACT Score Chart

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School GPA, High School Record (or Transcript), Completion of College Preparatory Program, Recommendations, Formal Demonstration of Competencies, English Proficiency Test, and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not reqired, but considered in admission process at USC. The english proficiency test is reqired .

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply University of Southern California.

For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .

USC Admission Requirements
High School GPARequired
High School RankConsidered, if submitted
High School Record (or Transcript)Required
Completion of College Preparatory ProgramRequired
RecommendationsRequired
Formal Demonstration of CompetenciesRequired
SAT / ACTConsidered, if submitted
English Proficiency TestRequired
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc)Not Considered
Work experienceConsidered, if submitted
Personal statement or essayRequired
Legacy statusConsidered, if submitted

General Admissions Information

The application fee is $85 for applying undergraduate schools and $90 for for applying graduate schools at University of Southern California. The following table provides general admission information for applying to USC.

Admission Information for Applying to USC
Open Admission PolicyNo
Undergraduate Application Fees$85
Graduate Application Fees$90
Admission Informationhttps://admission.usc.edu/
Online Applicationhttps://www.commonapp.org/
Calendar SystemSemester
Course for High School StudentsNot Offered
Credits AcceptedAdvanced placement (AP) Credits
Degree OfferedBachelor, Post-Bachelor Certificate, Master, Post-Master Certificate, Doctoral (Research), Doctoral (Professional Practice), Doctoral (Other)

Ratings & Review

Share your experiences and thoughts about University of Southern California. It will be a great help to applicants and prospective students!