Undergraduate Applicants:
Please refer to the USC Admission website for more information.
AP exam results
Freshman applicants who have taken Advanced Placement (AP) examinations are encouraged to provide those results with their USC Undergraduate application.
English Language Proficiency for Undergraduate Applicants
Please refer to the USC Admission English proficiency criteria here.
Graduate Applicants:
English Language Test Requirement – TOEFL / IELTS
In addition to all other application and audition requirements, international applicants to MA, MM, MS, DMA, PhD programs, as well as those to the Graduate Certificate in Arts Leadership must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. Note that Duolingo and PTE scores are not accepted for graduate admission purposes.
USC accepts the TOEFL iBT Home Edition, iBT Paper Edition, and the standard in-person TOEFL iBT administered in official test centers, as well as IELTS Academic and IELTS Indicator scores. Details are available on the ETS website and on the IELTS website.
International Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university located in the United States or other Anglophone country in which English is both the only language of instruction and the only official language of the country are not required to submit language test scores if their entire undergraduate degree was completed in the qualifying country. If there are transferred courses from an international college or university listed on an applicant’s bachelor’s transcript, the applicant is required to submit language test scores.
Please carefully note that applicants who earned a graduate degree (MM, DMA, Graduate Certificate, Performance Diploma) from an Anglophone college or university, but earned their bachelor’s degree in a country where English is not the only official language, are required to submit language test scores.
Applicants who earned a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree at The University of Southern California are NOT required to submit language test scores.
Even in cases where TOEFL or IELTS scores are not required as part of the admission process, non-native English speakers, regardless of educational or immigration background, may be required to demonstrate English language proficiency by taking the International Student English (ISE) exam, administered by the USC American Language Institute.
Further details about USC’s English language proficiency requirement can be found here.
Minimum Test Score requirements
TOEFL
- MM, MS, MA, ARTL, Screen Scoring – iBT total score of 90, with no less than 20 on any one section of the test
- DMA, PHD – iBT total score of 100, with no less than 20 on any one section of the test
- USC does not recognize “MyBest Scores” or “superscores.” Applicants must achieve the minimum requirement in one sitting of the test.
IELTS
- MM, MS, MA, Screen Scoring, ARTL – IELTS score of 6.5 with no less than 6 on each band score
- DMA, PHD – IELTS score of 7 with no less than 6 on each band score
- The minimum required score must be achieved in one sitting of the test.
Sending official scores to USC:
TOEFL
USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. If you did not designate USC as a score recipient when you took the TOEFL, please log back into the TOEFL website and request to have official scores sent to USC. USC’s institution code is 4852. (No department code is required.) Photocopies or paper copies of scores are not acceptable.
Scores are considered valid only if earned within two years of your intended first term at USC. (For example, no earlier than August 1 two years prior if applying for the fall term.)
IELTS:
USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. Photocopies or paper copies of scores from the testing service will not be accepted.
Select “University of Southern California” from the list of available institutions when you register to take the IELTS test. Alternatively, provide this information to your testing center after you have taken the test. Contact information for the USC department to which you are applying is not required.
Scores are considered valid only if earned within two years of your intended first term at USC. (For example, no earlier than August 1 two years prior if applying for the fall term.)
Questions about USC Thornton’s language proficiency requirement or minimum test score requirements may be directed to the USC Thornton Admission office.