c/o 2023 parent checking in and hoping for good news to everyone here!
Last year RD boxes were mailed on 3/21 (Thursday), with portal updates on 3/25 (Saturday) @5pm CST. Since we’re in a 3 day zone, our family stood over the portal on Saturday afternoon, as he refreshed continuously from 4:55pm. Portal update was 5pm sharp, with a congratulations letter!
Even though he didn’t get the coveted white box, his yellow box (Spring Admit) arrived on Tuesday. Though bittersweet, a Spring admission to SCA still meant a dream come true.
Remember to enjoy time with your family while waiting. Give your heart and mind a break from admissions craziness, because it’ll come back when FA packages are sent
@salzo123 yes, international students offered admission to USC will receive the same box. Obviously, the arrival date varies, but I remember intl students posting 2-3 weeks afterwards.
most schools give a solid date but release earlier at their convenience. the later date is just in case they can’t release earlier and then it’ll be disappointing if it’s late
For last 10 years (actually longer) it has been the week before the last week in March, actually around 21st-24th-ish. They have to notify by April 1, so that is the standard posted date, but it is never that late. They want to get it out there so the applicant knows they have it as an option among their others. Being late isn’t an advantage because once a student gets in somewhere they start emotionally investing in that school.
The scholarship applicants find out about the same time. For years they heard up to a week before regular decisions but last year it was at the end of the regular decision process (March 26th) so there was a lot of angst waiting for those results. I like if they let those kids know earlier and hope they get them out promptly this year. Last year was pretty brutal.
@salzo123 Some (a few) international students in certain areas hear with the rest of the folks as they DHL the packages out a day or two ahead of mailing the regular decisions. Have seen London and Hong Kong kids report the package quickly and same time as regular decisions, but as mentioned above, most will learn on portal first, then get the package sometime later.
@CADREAMIN I’m so excited to hear that decisions may possibly be released the week of 3/16!! Do you think USC’s Spring Break (that same week) will be a factor? I hope not! Also, Ivy Day is 3/26 this year and that is notoriously at the end of the cycle so it makes even more sense that USC will release a week earlier… Fingers crossed and thanks to you and your little bird!
Curious if any parents received an email today regarding financial aid. I received an email saying they would need IRS verification. I know USC is good about not giving clues but I was sure hoping this might be a good sign. I would think they would only do a deep dive like that for accepted students or is this just my wishful thinking.
We did not but we didn’t apply for aid. Did you apply for aid @mom2jw? I agree that sounds like it might be a good sign for you, like they are trying to put together your package?
Re: USC not giving clues, I have received two personal (handwritten) cards in the mail since Saturday. From profs I auditioned for in the Thornton School of Music. They were rather vague: “Thank you for auditioning, I was very impressed, no idea what USC admissions will decide, blah blah blah…” It’s nice to have these notes, but I don’t know whether it’s a good sign or not??? AGHHHHH! Why would they do this to their poor applicants?
Trying to figure out how many will be accepted to the Popular Music - Vocal this year. Any clue about how many applied and will be accepted? I thought I read somewhere on a thread that only 15 were invited for the audition for popular music vocal.
@Racingfan53 What area did you audition for? My son auditioned to popular music vocal. He received an email response to his thank-you note saying something similar. He hasn’t received anything handwritten in the mail though.
The likely mail-out of admissions packages, sent via USPS Priority Mail, will be the week of March 23 with portal updates for all applicants by later that week.
@CADREAMIN has heard that they may even send them out a little earlier this year. I guess we will see.
Once USC confirms sending them out, which they always do via social networking platforms, you can project your likely delivery window via the following link…
Be forewarned however that USPS is far from 100% reliable, and they do too often miss those delivery windows. The portal updates will be the definitive answer. In 2017, we were in the two day window, but it arrived much later and after the portal updated.
Rejection letters arrive via regular mail later.
While you can of course try Informed Delivery via USPS, as it has worked for some, USC does not enable tracking and historically very few of those actually getting the admission packets were able to gain that same-day advanced notice. The vast majority who have had Informed Delivery, including my own family, were not able to see this particular type of package en route. But there is always a chance.
Of course, this out-dated notification method which relies on the U.S. Postal Service is very “Old School” and designed to provide an unique “Mailbox Moment” for those admitted to USC. And it probably is so for 80%+ of all admitted applicants. But many also learn via the portal updates first.
Best of luck to all those waiting for good news later this month…
