USC Class of 2027 — Regular & Early Action Decisions

The April 1 and 2 dates are SDA specific. They told the kids the dates at the callback, and I know in past years they have sometimes sent an invite or save-the-date that indicates good news coming for those who receive it!

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There will many admitted student Explore USC events.

Weekday Events (April 7, 10, 14, 17, 20, 24)
Explore USC on campus to see firsthand what it’s like to be a student here. You will be able to interact with faculty, meet and talk to current students, and learn more about your program from department representatives. It’s also a great opportunity to dine in a residence hall and take tours of campus and the surrounding neighborhood to get a feel for what your days will be like once you arrive at USC. Because this event is offered on weekdays during school hours, registrations are limited. Participants have found, however, that this gives them a more personal, one-on-one experience of daily life at USC.

Weekend Open House Event (Sunday, April 2)
This full-day open house is ideal for families wishing to visit campus on a weekend. Please note: This is the only event that includes a tour of USC housing options, including residence halls, suite-style rooms and apartment-style housing. If you’re unable to attend Explore on April 2, however, housing tours are offered during summer Welcome Trojans orientation events. Housing tours are subject to availability.

Other Days
Coming to campus on a different day? Sign up for a standalone admitted student tour or a self-guided tour, starting March 25!

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Well, USC just posted 2023-2024 tuition. A 5% increase, after a 5% increase last year.

They’ve officially crossed the $90,000/yr Cost of Attendance figure. Stunning accomplishment.

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My son got a flyer at the end of the MT audition weekend that said to Save the Date for the SDA Open House on April 1, but we haven’t heard anything else.

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Oh goodness. My son applied to the Popular Music program. I don’t think that he got any Save the Date comments or flyers :frowning:
I hope that’s not a bad sign.

I think Thornton has a completely different system than SDA. Don’t stress!

You look familiar! I think we met there :slight_smile:

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No indications come from Thornton - you haven’t missed anything. Good luck!

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And to add to the $90K figure, our COA was generally more (maybe like 10K more each year) than they listed because of other things kids (may be able to) do living in beautiful Southern California. And also housing costs are typically way more than what is listed. Of course it varies depending on what a parent is willing or can fund. But ya…ouch.

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If a student receives a scholarship, does the amount go up to cover the increased tuition cost?
Asking for a friend :wink:

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unbelievable

Yes, for example The Trustee Scholarship covers full tuition and is not a fixed amount: if tuition goes up, your scholarship will be increased to cover it.

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A half tuition will cover half of the tuition over the years it is valid, same with Trustees, so yes, those scholarships based on percentage of tuition go up with increases.

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My older son got in to USC for undergraduate 5 years ago and decided to go UCI instead becoz of the price tag. He is now doing his Masters at USC which is not expensive at all. I am glad he took the wise decision.

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How does one even begin to justify a 90k price tag :sob:

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Same way people justify a Mercedes, Ferrari, a luxury vacation or lifestyle that others can’t begin to understand. Either they simply can or they prioritize it and figure out how to make it happen. With more than half paying full price, plenty will.

I think the sticker shock is also relative to ones’ area cost of living - in CA, many people are driving $70-90k cars and living in places where starter homes are close to 2M. So in a lot of cases it’s just relative. Not the majority of course, but enough to fill very expensive colleges with or without help.

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As stated above, it is usually the case that over half of those deciding to enroll at USC will be coming from a family willing to and able to pay the full cost of attending… and without the need for financial assistance via USC. Of course, some of those may still be taking out student or parent loans as part of that process. That does not necessarily show us as financial aid per se. And having the student take out student loans is likely a good idea for a number of reasons.

But, these days, it is also true that nearly two-thirds of all undergraduates receive some sort of financial aid via USC… including need-based grants, merit scholarships, federal work-study and loans. Of those, in recent cycles, 64-65% (or 11,500 receiving financial assistance in total out of the 18K undergrads), 21 percent or around 3,800 received a USC merit-based scholarship. The other 7,700 received need-based aid only. Some of the 3,800 or so receiving merit-based aid also received need-based aid.

And an even higher percentage (more than 21%) received pell grants in recent cycles. USC currently has more than 4,000 low-income undergraduate students out of the 18,000 undergraduate students enrolled. (Low income as defined by Pell Grant eligibility).

Clearly these #s demonstrate that USC is very much need-blind in its admission policy. Thankfully, needing or qualifying for financial aid has zero bearing on the admission decisions. In fact… just a couple years ago, the last time that they analyzed the #s nationally I believe, USC had more Pell Grant recipients among its undergraduate student population than any other private college or university in the nation. And they were very happy to share such info.

I concur that the total cost of attending has gotten to be rather excessive, but those able to and willing to pay the full cost will simply pay the increase too. And for those receiving financial aid, the FA offerings will simply adjust as necessary to account for it. Usually that means augmenting the university grants… or free money… offered directly by USC to cover the perceived financial need for qualifying families.

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I was thinking from a societal point of view rather than individualistic affordability but I understand the point you’re making.

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Seems like USC is now mainly for the elite upper class. Paying outrageous tuition for undergrad degree where kids are sometimes not sure about their major puts parents under tremendous financial burden. Also, a degree from USC versus a degree from another university will give almost same pay when you start working.

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Agreed, I absolutely love this school and loved the campus when I visited but it’s fairly low on my list of reach schools only because of the crazy price. Almost half a million dollar for college education is insane

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