USC has just posted that decision by mail will be sent out on the 23rd this year and the decision will be up on the portal on the 26th. Officially about 3 weeks left! Best of luck to all.
@40yearoldvirgin Great, glad you are getting guidance from them. It really shouldn’t impact negatively, it seems like special circumstance, but I guess they would like the grade info if possible, probably depends on overall record and entire application. You can only do what you can do, and reaching out to them was the best thing.
In honor of March 1st, reposting this again
As mentioned above, for 2016 they are saying mailing on Wed the 23rd with portal updated 26th which is Saturday. I think they will back that up a day as they have in the past, but don’t hold me to it. I think they pad the announcement with a day of cushion and will mail Tues the 22nd, but plan on 23rd, and you won’t be going crazier than necessary.
Here’s the summary of what to look for and when:
ACCEPTANCE PACKAGES:
For 2015 March results, packages were mailed on Tuesday, March 24, and started arriving in some locations on Wednesday March 25th. Most received them Thursday, the 26th. For the first time I believe, in 2015, USC did announce they were mailing both rejections and acceptances at the same time. However, large colorful acceptance envelopes are sent priority, while rejections are thin typical white letter envelopes sent regular first class mail, they start arriving a day after acceptances.
PER THE POST OFFICE, THEY ARE REALLY ACCEPTANCES sent in BIG ENVELOPES, NOT A PACAKGE:
Acceptances are sent in a large colorful envelope that is NOT trackable, via USPS. It is NOT considered a package. It is just a large envelope for mailing purposes. btw, USC posts a picture of envelopes leaving the office to their admissions Facebook page. It has been bright yellow or red over last few years.
REJECTION LETTERS: Rejection letters (mailed regular first class mail) started arriving on Thursday, the 26th in Socal, one day after acceptance packages began arriving that were mailed Priority.
PORTAL UPDATE:Status was updated on portal just after midnight at 12:10 am on Friday morning March 27th.
The portal changed and was updated to look like this:
Admission
Admission Decision
Enrollment Commitment Deposit
Withdraw Your Application
Submit Documents
Financial Aid
Apply for Financial Aid
Financial Aid Summary & Tasks (FAST) page
On-Campus Admitted Student Programs
Explore USC
Preview USC
Admitted Student Day
Campus tours
Off-Campus Admitted Student Programs
Apply for Housing
INTERNATIONAL:
Packets go DHL and typically take 3-4 days to central Europe as a frame of reference, rejections letters can take up to two weeks (International only) cause they are sent regular mail. Portal updates long before the rejection letters arrive internationally. Sometimes it seems they get international envelopes out to DHL a day early because I see some internationals posting they get a package in those first couple days as well, but can’t confirm that, just a guess. Do not know about ability to track DHL - not sure if that is option they offer.
Disclaimer - they could change things up, but they usually do it the same year after year, this is just what I know having been through it several times in recent years.
Do you guys think mail from USC would be able to get to Maryland within 2 days? haha
Hey everyone, do you know when/how the big scholarship notifications are given?
@CADREAMIN,
Relative to general admissions, do you know when and how Trustee and Presidents scholarships are communicated for the winners?
I believe [?] they are notified in early March. I think that’s when our DS received his Trustee letter.
Oh BTW- I learned recently from a Dean that it is still true that NMF’s who are accepted to USC AND list USC as their First choice by early May, will AUTOMATICALLY receive a 1/2 tuition National Merit Scholarship from USC.
Please note_ you CANT receive BOTH the NMF scholarship AND any other merit scholarships that USC awards, ie Presidents or Trustees.
Stacking isnt allowed.
@frenchtoastlover I asked one of the admissions counselors who was sitting at our table at Explore, and she said that they will make decisions after all the Trustee & Presidential interviews are done. The last session ends on 3/8, so my guess is the earliest we’ll hear something is 3rd week in March. I hope I’m wrong, and we hear earlier! 
@SoProudofMyChildren At my Trustee scholarship program, my host told me that USC releases scholarship decisions on the same day/time as the “regular decision” admissions. Best of luck!
Got it, thank you so much @happymochi!!
Do you guys think that straight A’s, five AP classes and pulling my rank from 23 to 17 (top four percent) this semester will look good on my application? My ACT is only 28 and I have a sinking feeling that I’m not getting in.
Question about scholarships: are outside scholarships stackable? i.e. if I get Presidential or Dean from USC and $5000 from an outside scholarship, I’d get the money from USC plus the $5000. They don’t deduct outside scholarship money from your merit total like they do for normal, need-based aid, correct?
I believe merit scholarships are stackable. One USC scholarship and outside scholarships.
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“They don’t deduct outside scholarship money from your merit total like they do for normal, need-based aid, correct?”
outside scholarships WILL reduce ANY need based aid on a dollar for dollar basis.
I wish USC would provide an average weighted GPA in its class profile 
^ Don’t have the average GPA overall, but if anyone was interested in stats for Trustee/Presidential scholars, they said that around 80% had never gotten below an A in high school when I went to Explore.
@glasshours They have an average unweighted GPA but what really matters is the weighted. Because one kid can take all regular classes and get all A’s and have a 4.0 while another kid can take all AP classes and get a couple B’s and have a 3.7. Weighted puts it in context
@ClassOf2020x They say in one of their handouts that the average admitted student took 6-7 AP/IB courses if that helps.