Obviously I don’t work for the university. Some universities will accept major changes before a student starts school, but that student would have qualified for admission into the new major if they had applied for it from the get go. I’m not sure how USC evaluates situations like this but I’m sure they are used to applicants who try to game the system.
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I have a question about merit for Roski applicants. D applied and submitted her portfolio (just barely) by the December 1 deadline to be considered for merit. Do these kids get a shot at scholarships such as Trustee even though they were considered regular decision and won’t get their admissions decision until Friday, or is there a separate track of merit for students who submitted portfolios?
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oops didn’t mean to reply directly to you @california2021.
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Some major changes can be done at orientation (like a Dornsife to Dornsife simple change) - or you can just indicate that you are interested in changing majors and proceed with the GEs needed and formalize the process after classes start. (Meet with advisor and get sign off, etc). But Viterbi and Marshall have processes to internally transfer/change major. Both schools are more formally enforcing their internal transfer policies in recent years. Per Viterbi:
You must wait till you have started classes at USC to officially apply to USC Viterbi. In order to make an admission decision, the committee needs to review your academic performance in at least one semester of typical engineering coursework at USC. Therefore, the application can be submitted as early as the end of your first semester of classes on campus. Information on that application process can be found at Pre-Engineering - Admission & Student Engagement | Current Undergraduate Students.
For Marshall - so many want to get in there and it is very competitive for internal transfer. A lot of students don’t understand this coming in. More so than Viterbi just because of supply/demand and numbers wanting to change to Marshall. There are def hoops to jump through for an internal major change including some pre-reqs (writing, math and econ) and in the past several admissions cycles, the average overall GPA for students successful at internal transfer is 3.7+. They have regular presentations that one has to attend that goes over the transfer to Marshall process and frankly, it ends up weeding some students out of the process.
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When an applicant applies to USC, you are also identifying one or two major choices… and one to two Schools housing those majors. There are four potential results… 1. admitted to USC and to your first choice major, 2. admitted to USC and to your second choice major, 3. admitted to USC, but as undeclared (meaning that you were not also already admitted to a School within USC and to one of your two choices of majors), 4. not admitted.
As stated above, my younger daughter had scenario 3 happen. She had applied to USC and listed two SCA majors. She was admitted to USC as Undeclared. She enrolled anyway and then internally transferred into SCA fairly quickly.
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Generally speaking… it is easier to gain admission to USC as an external transfer versus as a high school senior applying initially for admission to the new freshman class. Many will be offered the Trojan Transfer Plan as an option while not being admitted this Friday. For those seeking more info, I will link to a thread on it below.
And it is also easier to internally transfer into some of the more competitive majors. But, as stated above, not all competitive majors allow for such.
Persistence though can clearly pay off for those who feel compelled to eventually attend USC or to do so within one of the more competitive majors. The film director Bryan Singer famously had to apply three times to get into the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He was first turned down by both USC and SCA. He later transferred into USC but was again turned down by SCA. And then on the third effort, he got into SCA as an internal transfer. Pursuing the USC dream does not always work out though. Steven Spielberg was turned down by both USC and SCA three times. He clearly turned out fine though. SCA even has a building named after him within their complex.
So, there are also countless pathways to success that do not include USC. All of you receiving bad news this Friday can still find your own path to success elsewhere if USC does not offer you admission. Some will still find a way to make it into USC later. For the rest… simply go out and make your name at another great college or university. Let the disappointment fuel you. USC’s loss anyhow… so be great and make them regret passing you over.
Link to more info regarding the Trojan Transfer Plan:
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Just FAST number now.
Wanting to set my expectations altho not expecting an acceptance but there is absolutely no merit offered for RD is that correct. USC was my sons first choice but not at the 90K a year price point. I am excited for those who qualify for aid it’s an amazing place.
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I think aid is offered for students that applied to academies.
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If he is a National Merit Finalist and gets admitted, be will get a Presidential Scholarship. USC also has need-based aid for domestic students.
Thanks, he was a contender not a finalist and we don’t qualify for need based but fun to see if he gets in, I suspect not since he was deferred from EA but it will be great to have all the options said and done:) Good Luck to everyone!!
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Same here, does this mean we were rejected?
Agree, no thanks at 90k a year! DD was deferred and is NMF but even with half off tuition it would still be ~$58k a year. We are relieved DD got into UCLA, as the 35-40k price point is much more reasonable. Good luck to everyone!
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That’s such a negative way to look at it. This is the first year usc had done EA and ONLY EA applicants get merit so I suspect there are many many kids who were deferred who meet the mark to be accepted . I also don’t understand who applied RD knowing that h less your needs based you’ll pay 90k a year to me that’s the bigger question
National merit finalists could have applied regular decision knowing they would still get half tuition. Otherwise, I guess people who have need or can easily afford 90k?
This is the first year that USC has done EA, so I’m not 100% sure how they define the RD applicants vs. EA applicants. There could be another group that’s included the RD number but is still eligible for merit scholarships - those required to audition or submit a portfolio with an application deadline of Dec. 1.
“Early Action is not available for students applying to the Iovine and Young Academy or to majors in Architecture, Art and Design, Cinematic Arts, Dance, Dramatic Arts or Music. Applicants to these majors should apply by December 1 to be considered for both admission and scholarships.”
From the first-year student profile for Class of 2026, there are around 600 enrolled in IYA and the Visual & Performing Arts Schools. Taking into consideration of the average yield rate and admission rate, the applicant number for these schools could well be in the range of 10K. If these applicants are counted as RD applicants, then that explains a significant portion of the RD number.
https://admission.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/First-Year_Student_Profile.pdf
Ya, there are plenty of people are willing and able to pay whatever a college charges. More than half the students are full pay so plenty see the value, and can afford it or choose to afford it in various ways whether it’s a straight up cash, through loans, a second mortgage, grandparent money, etc. Plenty apply knowing their chances of scholarships are slim, cause, well, they are generally speaking.
As @Franziskaner mentioned, there are still some scholarships to come, but statistically insignificant when considering 5500 will be admitted Friday most with zippo scholarship.
I don’t know about others but I don’t pay anything close to the estimated cost of attendance for food (est at $7290/yr) or books & supplies (est at $1200/yr)
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I think there are ways to save or spend more in each category - just depends on the student/family situation. Some people spend a lot more on travel home than others. And some have a bigger/smaller social budget than others. The $7290 is the cost of the cheapest meal plan for the first year (2 semesters at $3645 each) that is assigned to freshman, so can’t start saving there till after freshman year.
There’s no doubt there are lots of ways to spend money at/around USC, but there are an equal number of ways to save if a student is so inclined.
Agreed in terms of scholarships, as the enrolled students in these schools only account for less than 20% of the incoming class. I’m just saying that if all the applicants to these schools with audition or portfolio requirement are counted as RD, then this group will represent a disproportionately large part of the RD pool.