USC stands for the University of Southern California. It is also known as SC or South Cal. USC started its journey in 1880, and it is one of the oldest research universities in California. USC has over 20,000 administrative and academic staff members to assist students with their education and solve collegiate problems. USC is educating almost 50,000 students worldwide. It has a large university park campus, a health sciences campus, and campuses in Alhambra and Sacramento that house various USC departments. You can pursue more than 95 undergraduate programs, 147 master’s and doctoral programs, and 147 professional certificate programs available at USC. Let us see about the acceptance rate of USC.
USC
The University of Southern California is one of the nation’s top universities, and its admissions process is highly selective. It considers test scores, GPA, previous academic records, APs, and some other facts when evaluating students for admission. The acceptance rate at USC varies every college session, and the average acceptance rate is between 11 and 16 percent. Among some competitive universities, USC has a minimum acceptance rate. Students who meet all of the eligibility requirements and have a sturdy academic record may be admitted to USC.
The acceptance rate of USC depends on the number of applications received for the academic session, and it gives priority to students who have high merit according to the eligibility criteria decided for admission to USC. In the previous academic session, almost 70,000 enrollments were done for admittance at USC, and the acceptance rate was only sixteen percent. The acceptance rate of international students at USC is 14%, and 88 countries currently have students pursuing various programs at USC. The increase in applications each year makes it difficult for students to gain admission to USC, and USC is considering dropping the ACT and SAT from its eligibility criteria for admissions.
USC Acceptance Rate:
As USC is a private research university, its ranking and programs are also highly regarded and famous among students. Due to success rates, rankings, and popularity, the number of applications for admission increases every academic year, and choosing deserving students from them is a difficult task to perform. When the eligibility required is matched in applications the acceptance rate is reduced. The acceptance rate of USC changes every academic session according to the number of applications. For the academic session of 2021, more than 70,000 students filled out the application form, and only 8,400 of those were accepted, which was only 12% of the applications.
USC Acceptance Rate According to Academic Years:
Here is a list of some academic years and USC’s acceptance rate in those college sessions.
2014 17.8%
2015 17.5%
2016 16.5%
2017 16%
2018 11.4%
Besides, in these academic years, the acceptance rate varies with every academic year. It starts from a minimum of 11% to a maximum of 18%.
Reasons Why USC’s Acceptance Rate is Low
The acceptance rate is low because it could not find enough eligible students from applications according to the requirements of its courses.
It demands high ACT and SAT scores and good grades in your previous academics, which makes the admissions process competitive for students.
Students with extracurricular activities, high moral standards, achievements, and skills have more chances of being accepted at USC.
USC wants to attract students who have already focused on their education and talent to achieve something big in their lives, and for that, they have been performing well in their school’s academics, which makes their admission process selective.
The name and fame of USC among the students are high because of its ranking, facilities for students, faculties, programs, courses, campuses, libraries, and more things that make USC a prestigious institute, and to maintain that reputation, it follows a holistic admission process.
Admission to USC requires the following qualifications:
Students who want to increase their chances of acceptance at USC must meet the following eligibility requirements to present a sinewy application to the admissions committee at USC.
- The GPA required for admission to USC is 3.79 or above.
- Students must score a minimum of 32 on the ACT, and if they score 1440 on the SAT or higher than this, it will increase their chances of acceptance.
- You must have an appropriate letter of recommendation from your teacher or counselor.
- The students who have a top-ten percentage in their previous academics have a high chance of getting accepted at USC.
- If you have good skills in writing personal essays, then your chances of being accepted will be higher.
- Students who have extracurricular activities such as participation in sports events, cultural programs, tech fests, and more will put their applications forward at USC.
How can you fill out the application form for USC?
The students should follow these steps to fill out the USC application form.
You can start your application with the official website of USC. When you open the Admissions tab, you must choose whether you fill in as an American applicant or an international student, then move forward.
Choose the program you want to apply to and read the guidelines carefully.
You can apply for a maximum of three programs in an academic year at USC.
After adding courses, create your account with USC.
USC will provide you with a registration number and password, after which you will fill out the remaining information.
Upload your academic transcripts and other required documents for your application.
Check and validate the descriptions you filled out, and then pay the application fee of $90 for all graduate programs.
Submit your application, and you can check the status of your application after one week of submission by using your login id and password.
Ranking of USC:
The national ranking of USC by Forbes is 21, the WSJ has given it the 19th grade, and US News and World Report have put it in the 25th position. Washington Monthly has awarded USC 52 citations. The global ranking of USC, according to ARWU, is 53. THE RESEARCH REPORT has given it a succession of 65.QS has put USC in the 134th spot, and US News and World Report have awarded USC the 80th position in its global university rankings survey report.
Besides, the global and national rankings of USC and its various programs are also highly ranked by different survey websites and magazines. These courses are highly in demand among students, and everyone wants to pursue the programs at USC.
Conclusion:
The acceptance rate of USC is low, as the average acceptance rate is 11% to 18%. There are several reasons behind the low acceptance rate, such as the highly selective admission process, the number of applications, the eligible students among the applications, the reputation of USC, it is ranking, and a few other facts that decrease the acceptance rate of USC. The students must fulfill all the eligibility criteria decided by USC to increase their chances, such as high SAT, ACT, and GPA scores; good grades in high school; position in class; essay writing skills; letters of recommendation; and some extracurricular activities that may strengthen your acceptance chance at USC.
FAQ:
Can students at USC smoke?
Smoking is not permitted on the USC campus because it endangers everyone’s lives. You cannot smoke in parking areas or on indoor or outdoor USC properties.
What are the washing and drying costs at USC?
If you use washing services at USC, you must pay $1.50 for a load of washing, and for drying it, you must spend another $1.25.
