University of Southern California Acceptance Rate for Indian Students

Established 1880 University of Southern California is a top tier private research university in LA US. The USC ranked highly in 2025/26 including a rank of #27 in the National Universities Ranking, #65 in Best Value Schools, #9 in Best Colleges for Veterans, and #146 in the World Universities Ranking 2026.

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University of Southern California Acceptance Rate 2025

For the class of 2029, the University of Southern California received  83,500 applications, whereas the number of students admitted was just around 8,600. This implies that the University of Southern California acceptance rate is 10.4%, making the USC admission process extremely competitive.

 The yield rate, on the other hand, usually stays around 40% as the number of new enrollees for Fall 2024 amounted to almost 3,500. The exact statistics for the academic sessions 2024-25 and 2025-26 of the University of Southern California are given below for a comparative analysis:  

University of Southern California Acceptance Rate for International Students

The University of Southern California campus houses students from around the world with diverse backgrounds, representing over 130 countries. The top countries of origin for the Class of 2029 include China, India, Canada, South Korea, United Kingdom, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Below is an ethnicity and race division of the total enrolled students at the University of Southern California as of Fall 2025:

University of Southern California Acceptance Rate Trends

The no. of applications received by USC in the last six years has increased by 39.8% whereas the no. of students admitted has decreased by -2.84%. As a result, there has been a decrease of almost 6% in the USC acceptance rate as well, pointing towards increased competition for aspirants. 

University of Southern California Early Action VS Regular Decision Acceptance Rate

When it comes to the USC regular decision acceptance rate, it stands at around 9% for the Class of 2029. Whereas the USC early acceptance rate stands at 8.3%.

University of Southern California Admission Requirements for International Students

In order to secure a seat all overseas applicants must fulfill certain University of Southern California admission requirements listed below:

• High school certificate / Bachelor's degree in a relevant field;
• Official academic transcripts / academic records;
• Proof of English language proficiency (IELTS: 7.0 | TOEFL: 100);
• Resume/CV;
• Statement of purpose (SOPs);
• Letters of recommendation (LORs);
• SAT/ACT score;
• GRE/GMAT score;
• Portfolio; and
• Financial documents for the proof of sufficient funds.

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University of Southern California Admission Requirements for Indian Students

Southern Cal accepts country-specific qualifications for admissions. Indian students can refer to the table below for the USC admission requirements:

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University of Southern California Average GPA, SAT, or ACT Scores

The University of Southern California admission cycle is test-optional, which means that international students can apply without SAT or ACT scores. However, if candidates have a standardized test score, they can submit it along with their applications. Similarly, USC does not have a university-wide minimum GPA requirement for admission eligibility.

Tips to Get Selected in the University of Southern California

University of Southern California takes a holistic approach when it comes to admissions, and they look for students who they think will succeed at the university. The Southern Cal admission process is intended to learn more about the candidate and their unique story, enabling them to assess how well they would benefit from USC's wealth of opportunities. SoCal takes a holistic review of the candidate's application to consider academic and personal characteristics. They review the applicant's performance in school, the rigor of their program, writing skills, and any test scores they choose to submit. USC also considers personal qualities, as revealed in community involvement, leadership, and achievements.

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USC Acceptance Rate VS UCLA Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate of the University of California-Los Angeles is 9%, making it one of the toughest universities in the U.S. to get into. In comparison, USC University acceptance rate stands at 11.2%, coming fairly close to UCLA's. Thus, it can be concluded that admissions in both universities are very competitive since the data suggests that out of every 100 applicants, 9-10 are likely to be selected.