Hi! I’ve been lurking for a while, and I have a question that I don’t think has been addressed yet. For those accepted with scholarships, does it say so directly on your admissions notification letter? I received a generic “Congratulations!” letter plus a booklet that says “Trustee Scholarship Finalist”, but when I log into my portal, I can’t seem to find the Explore USC dates indicated in the booklet for the interviews. I’m scared the booklet might just be a fluke - has anyone registered for the correct Explore USC dates yet (February 22-23/25-26)? Thank you and sorry for freaking out a little!
@miwo331 your portal probably hasnt been updated
Here’s email my S got:
Dear ________
I am writing to first-year candidates who submitted their applications by December 1, in time for consideration for USC merit scholarships. I want to update you on the status of our admission review, and our scholarship selection process.
Scholarship Selection
Over 30,000 students applied in time to be considered for merit scholarships. We have offered admission to approximately 1,200 students who will proceed to the next phase of consideration for our top awards: the Mork Family, Stamps Leadership, Trustee, and Presidential scholarships. I am sorry to say you were not selected for further consideration for these awards.
This notification only applies to the scholarships I mentioned. You will still be considered for other awards, including but not limited to those listed on our Scholarships page. I encourage you to apply for financial aid if you have not already done so. Visit the Financial Aid website for application instructions. Also, if you are admitted, named a National Merit Finalist and select USC as your first-choice institution, you will receive a USC Presidential Scholarship worth one-half tuition.
Admission Selection and Notification
Your application is still being considered for admission. We are planning to offer admission to approximately 7,800 additional first-year students. We will mail these notifications so you have the decision by April 1. I am grateful for your patience as you wait for us to finish this difficult work.
Mid-Year Reports
If you or your school counselor has not already done so, please submit your mid-year report: your final grades from the first term of your senior year. You can report them online at you.usc.edu, or your school can send them to us.
@miwo331 I’m in the same situation… I received the finalist’s booklet but portal is not showing any February dates for Explore USC. I am planning to call them in the morning.
@Dreamchaser178 is your portal updated and the dates not showing? Or is nothing showing?
@Abwee67 The portal is updated - I can view the admissions decision letter, but the Explore USC dates are all one day long and the earliest one is in April.
I’m on the east coast and because of the blizzard no one in my town has gotten any mail since Friday. My portal hasn’t updated, but I also haven’t received an email. When should I expect the portal to update?
Has anyone received the letter without their portal being updated? I have neither
Did anyone else get that “no scholarship” email we got? Fortunately my S is NMSF so fingers crossed he is a finalist and can get the Presidential scholarship.
Congrats, everyone!
Did anyone else get an email about not receiving the scholarship? I haven’t gotten anything – package, email, portal update, etc.
I haven’t gotten anything yet, either
Got email. Application status on portal has a link with the same information (thanks but no thanks)
Got a rejection email saying they offered scholarships to only 1,200/30,000 that applied early
Anyone get the acceptance letter but no portal update yet?
@XCjunior2016 – remember that this isn’t a rejection; just that you aren’t being considered for one of the big scholarships. As they say in the email, they are accepting 7800 more kids so now you just have to wait. Sorry; I know it’s hard!
Gah, I’m also waiting: No package, No portal update, no email. (They just don’t like us Georgia people, eh @Abwee67) But congrats to everyone who got in!
I’m still waiting as well. No package, email or update but I’m in Texas. I’m so nervous. Congratulations to everyone who got in!
FYI, No Scholarship email came today at 7:03 to DD’s email. “Over 30,000 students applied in time to be considered for merit scholarships. We have offered admission to approximately 1,200 students who will proceed to the next phase of consideration for our top awards.” She might be a NMF so we are not too worried. Must have gotten even more competitive because she has better stats than her bro who got the Presidential in 2014. Good luck to all.
No scholarships for me. It’s all well and good for people to say “it’s not a rejection, there’s thousands more kids still to be accepted” etc, but surely you realise that for a lot of people a scholarship rejection is as good as a full rejection, because due to circumstances they would be unable to attend without merit aid. Personally, USC has dropped from being my dream school and number 1 on my list to the very bottom now, because as an international student with financial need, USC is now no longer really an option for me. That being said well done to everyone who got it, some of you have insane stats and stories, I hope you appreciate the opportunity.
@verseysea I didn’t mean to be insensitive when I said that the letter wasn’t a rejection. I just meant that receiving that letter isn’t an actual rejection from USC. I do, however, understand your point regarding the expense issue, and I am so sorry for you that USC will not be feasible. Disappointment like that really sucks.