<p>Ok, I have heard a few things about the spring admissions. They are sent after the last acceptances but before / at same time with rejections. They are meant so that the school can accept students who show promise but do not quite have the most desirable numbers and this way they don't lower the school's averages. But... if you get accepted, how does this work? Do you just take a semester off and start late after winter break? How does getting a spring admission affect applying for housing / financial aid? Would you accept the spring admission if you were accepted for a regular fall term elsewhere?</p>
<p>I had this last year and am ultimately now at UCLA. Basically, most students begin coursework at a community college and transfer some GE credits over. Housing is slightly different, but works the same general way, and financial aid is cut in half. For instance, if your EFC is 10,000 and it costs 50,000 for a full year at USC, the money would show a 5,000 EFC for 25,000 worth of education (at least this was how it was explained to me last year when I asked)</p>