graduate school acceptance rate usc
graduate school acceptance rate usc
The University of Southern California is a leading private research university located in Los Angeles, the capital of the Pacific Rim.
The University of Southern California is a private research university located in Los Angeles, the capital of the Pacific Rim. USC’s film school has produced more than 130 academy award winners, placing it third behind only NYU (156) and UCLA (176). The current USC campus was built in 1887 as a resort by railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington as part of an expansion that would include a hotel and zoo; both still stand. It became a private institution in 1893, but not without resistance from the people of Los Angeles, who voted to separate it from its parent institution, the Methodist Church-affiliated College for Women (now the University of California at Los Angeles). In 1900, it officially became part of what was then known as the “University Farm” system—a collection of regional schools affiliated with UC Berkeley—and stayed that way until WWII. Since then it’s been independent except for brief periods during which it merged with another school: first in 1944 with UCLA and later from 1951 through 1967 with Loyola University before becoming autonomous once more.
Just like its history, USC is home to an eclectic group made up of extremely bright young people representing all over the world—indeed 26% are international students —with an equally diverse faculty body; around 20% are ethnic minorities. There are plenty of academic opportunities on campus, including 200+ majors and 46+ minors across four undergraduate schools; while graduate-level programs take place across 12 professional schools (like Law, Business Management & Journalism), each granting their own set of master’s degrees and Ph.D.’s
With an acceptance rate of 16.5%, admission to USC is very competitive.
USC is a very competitive school, with an acceptance rate of only 16.5 percent. If you’re interested in the Master of Science program in Information Technology offered by the University of Southern California (USC), you’ll have to think carefully about your application. The program has high requirements and is difficult to get into, considering that there were 34,000 applicants for admission last year. In addition to sending a strong application, you must complete additional steps as part of USC’s admissions process.
Based on past admission data, it’s estimated that about 34% of applicants are admitted to USC each year.
According to data from the University of Southern California, roughly 34% of applicants were accepted to the school in 2016. This is a number that admissions statistics experts are optimistic will hold steady for the foreseeable future. In addition, about 40% of applicants were rejected and 26% were waitlisted; this means it’s important for prospective students not to feel discouraged if they aren’t accepted right away.
The university received over 37,000 applications in 2016 and admitted just under 9,000 students (roughly 25% of all applicants). According to College Navigator data culled by Statista, this makes USC one of the most selective universities in the country. Not only is acceptance into USC not a forgone conclusion, but competition is getting tougher each year; there were more than 41,000 applications submitted in 2017—a notable increase from two years prior when about 33,000 people applied (and only 8% more than this year).
Admission for both the fall and spring semesters are highly selective, with slightly more applicants admitted in the fall semester than the spring semester.
Admission to USC is highly selective, with slightly more applicants admitted in the fall semester than the spring semester. The average overall acceptance rate is 34%, with a 16.5% acceptance rate in the fall and 18% in the spring.
For domestic students applying for freshman admission, the minimum requirement is completion of a college preparatory program with strong grades and standardized test scores. In addition to competitive GPA, ACT® tests and SAT® tests are required; high school grades are also factored into admission decisions. Students applying as transfer students must have at least 24 transferable semester units (34 quarter) from a regionally accredited university completed before enrolling, including advanced placement or international baccalaureate classes when applicable. In addition to competitive GPA, high school grades are factored into admission decisions for transfer students.
All USC students must submit a completed application as well as pay an application fee each year they wish to be considered for admittance. The application is available on-line only and must be submitted by November 30th except for international applicants who must apply by February 15th for fall admittance and June 15th for spring admittance each academic year.
About 30 percent of students who submit SAT scores submit scores from all three tests.
How many times should students take the SAT? Most students submit only their SAT scores when applying for college. However, about 30 percent of students who submit SAT scores submit scores from all three tests. This adds up to about 10,000+ applications each year with all three tests.
How many times should you take the ACT? About 70 percent of students submit only the SAT when applying for college. Another 25 percent submit both the ACT and SAT scores. The remaining 5 percent of students submit all three tests: two ACT tests and two SAT tests.
About 3% of Students Submit All Three Tests
Top Colleges that Require All Three Tests
If you’re looking at a school like Georgetown University or Vanderbilt University, it’s likely that you’ll need to send in your ACT score as well as your two best SAT scores. Some schools will require two or three subject tests as well if you’re planning on majoring in a specific subject like chemistry or math.
There are also some schools that recommend taking both the ACT and the SAT (in addition to AP exams), such as Pace University or Carleton College . These mid-range schools don’t have requirements but they do highly recommend sending in multiple test scores (ACT and/or SAT).
If your SAT/ACT scores and GPA fall within the school’s average ranges, you have a strong chance of being accepted.
Average ACT: 32
Average SAT: 1420 (out of 1600)
Average GPA: 3.9
- Explanation of the averages and how they are calculated: First, a disclaimer. In this section, we’re going to be referring to an “average” USC student. Obviously, these numbers will not apply to every single student who is admitted into USC. In an entire class of admitted students, there will be some that have higher or lower scores than these averages indicate. However, if your high school GPA and test scores fall within the ranges listed above, you have a very strong chance at getting accepted into USC’s graduate program. It’s also important to consider that USC has rolling admissions—meaning that applicants are considered as long as they’re submitted before the deadline—so it’s possible for someone with slightly below-average test scores or grades to still get in if their application is submitted before the deadline for early decision candidates has passed and before the deadline for regular decision candidates has passed.*
Along with obtaining good grades and high standardized test scores, it’s also important for prospective students to present a strong application that includes letters of recommendation, essays, and extracurricular activities.
Just as important as the A.P. exam, the application to graduate school is an opportunity for students to showcase their passions and self-reflection skills through personal essays and activities that they’ve participated in outside of classroom time. It’s a crucial component to the admissions process, so prospective students should be prepared to devote time and effort into writing a strong essay and putting together impressive references who will provide praise on their behalf. Students should also keep in mind their past academic performance, making sure that they have good grades that show consistent improvement over time, since this will help support their success at future schools.
The admissions committee may look favorably upon applicants who share great stories about how they were able to improve themselves or others from past mistakes or less than stellar performance in previous years. Take a cue from renowned astronaut Neil Armstrong, whose college transcripts showed him struggling with classes initially before he began excelling academically upon finding his true passion for studying aeronautical engineering (and eventually went on to become the first man on the moon).
Both the SAT and ACT have an optional essay section.
Although the essay sections of both the SAT and ACT are optional, they’re actually pretty useful for most students. Taking the time to perfect an essay on a broad subject will help you practice writing skills that can be used later in college, while also giving you insight into your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. On top of that, colleges look at these scores when making admission decisions, although your main focus should be on improving your overall SAT/ACT score first.
The biggest difference between the two tests in this regard is that the ACT has essay prompts that change every year, while those of the SAT are always the same (“Some people think education is all fun and games. Others think it’s deadly serious business. Which way do you lean?”). It might seem tempting to use this as an opportunity to brush up on current events every time a new prompt comes out, but don’t get too caught up in doing research here—when I took my SATs years ago, hardly any of my prep material touched on ACT-specific content. Instead, focus on going over any topics or skills you struggled with during practice exams or classwork. This means that if there was one particular question type or grammar concept you had trouble with during practice materials or classwork, make sure it gets extra attention when studying for your test date
Writing a strong personal statement can help students gain admission to the school they want while also gaining scholarships to pay for it.
Remember when you were applying to college, and your favorite part was having to write a personal statement? Or maybe you thought it was the most agonizing thing ever. Either way, getting accepted into a prestigious program is all about the personal statement.
The introduction makes or breaks your essay. You want readers to remember you for the rest of their lives! Your first sentence should be intriguing so that they read on and see what else you have to say. Show them how much this school means to you, or how excited you are to be pursuing something that’s meaningful and important to you. Show them how hard you’ve worked, or how passionate your hobbies are—get creative! If possible, do an activity or research related to what interests you most about the school before writing; get inspired by brainstorming about why this school is perfect for YOU. Remember: Be authentic! This isn’t the time for big words that show off how smart you are; use language that demonstrates personality and passion instead.
USC will not offer any exceptions to its deadline policy or accept late applications or supplemental materials.
This is not to say that the application and admission process is easy or trouble-free. In fact, USC’s graduate admissions are highly selective, with a low acceptance rate of less than 20%. The university makes no exception to its deadline policy and does not accept late applications or supplemental materials.
To help ensure you have everything on time, here are some important things you should be aware of:
- Deadlines are on a rolling basis. The earlier you submit your application, the better chance you have at being admitted.
- Be mindful of your citizenship status when applying for F-1 visas. Only 6 months of F-1 visa status can be used before students must leave the U.S., unless they change their visa to an H-1B, which requires getting paid. If you have any questions, please contact our office directly at (310) 825-7185 or visit our website at [www.go4graduatestudies.com].
USC has an impressive graduate program that many people dream of getting into.
- UC-Santa Barbara has an acceptance rate of 3.75 percent and an applicant yield rate at last count of 15 percent.
- A little over 20 percent of applicants are admitted to USC’s Graduate School each year, while another 17 percent are chosen to attend via the highly competitive lottery (which is generally comprised of students ranked in the top 20 percent on the job market).
- For those who don’t win the admission lottery, there is still a great chance that USC will accept you if you can meet its minimum requirements for GPA and GRE scores.