How to get into University of Southern California
How to get into USC: the trojan family and major-specific admissions
9.8%
Acceptance rate
$72,097
In-state cost
What makes University of Southern California admissions different
USC admits to specific schools and programs — Marshall (business), Viterbi (engineering), Annenberg (communications), Thornton (music), Cinematic Arts, etc. Some of these (especially Cinematic Arts, Marshall World Bachelor, Iovine Academy) are far more competitive than the headline 12% rate. The 'Trojan family' marketing is real: alumni networking is one of USC's defining features.
What an actually competitive application looks like
- 1.
Apply directly to the school/program that matches your strongest work. USC respects depth over breadth.
- 2.
Show specific evidence for your target program: portfolio for Cinematic Arts, business work for Marshall, audition prep for Thornton.
- 3.
Maintain 3.9+ unweighted GPA, 1480+ SAT / 33+ ACT.
- 4.
Apply for USC's Presidential Scholarship and Trustee Scholarship — separate December deadline, half- to full-tuition awards.
- 5.
Reference USC's interdisciplinary minors (entertainment industry, screen studies, etc.) — they're a defining feature.
Common mistakes that hurt applicants here
- ✕
Treating USC as 'UCLA's competitor.' The cultures and admissions are fundamentally different.
- ✕
Applying to Cinematic Arts without a strong creative portfolio. It's one of the toughest admits in the country (~3%).
- ✕
Skipping the December scholarship deadline. Even unsuccessful applications are reread for admissions and merit aid.
If you're on the bubble
USC is increasingly fit-and-program-driven. Applicants with median stats who present a clear creative or pre-professional story do well, especially in less-competitive schools. The reverse: high-stat undecided applicants without a clear angle struggle.
Next steps
Last updated: November 2025. Acceptance rate and cost data refreshed nightly from college reporting.