First-year Trojans admitted for fall semester have record-high GPA average of 3.92

From a robust pool of 79,290 applicants, USC has offered admission to 9,251 first-year scholars for fall 2026.

The admittees have a combined grade point average of 3.92 on a 4-point scale — the highest in USC history.

“The academic strength of this admitted class is truly exceptional with a record-high average GPA and standardized test scores among the strongest in our history,” USC Dean of Admission Timothy Brunold said.

USC remains among the most selective colleges and universities in the country with just 11.7% of applicants being admitted overall for the fall.

“Our highly selective admission rate reflects both the depth of interest in USC and how extraordinarily prepared these students are for our rigorous academic environment,” Brunold said.

NAI scholars savor moment USC dream came true

Among those admitted was Michael Lawrence, student body president of the James A. Foshay Learning Center in South Los Angeles.

“As soon as I saw the email, everything stopped,” Lawrence said in an interview Thursday. “I saw confetti [on the computer screen] and once I read the first sentence, I started screaming. It was such a great feeling of joy and satisfaction.”

Lawrence is a member of the USC Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative’s Class of 2026.

The seven-year program offers academic support and resources to prepare students from the neighborhoods closest to USC’s campuses for the academic rigors of college, admission and graduation. Launched in 1990, NAI has a 100% high school graduation rate and a 99% college graduation rate.

“I put so much work in throughout the years, and it finally paid off,” said Lawrence, who plans to major in health and human sciences at USC.

Miriam Calderon, also an NAI participant, said she found a quiet corner at Foshay after school this week to be alone as she checked to see if she had been admitted to USC.

She had been.

“I walked to my mom’s car with tears in my eyes and told her, and she was so excited,” said Calderon, who plans to major in finance at the USC Marshall School of Business. “I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders because I have been striving for this since sixth grade. It has shown me that if I set my mind to something, I am able to accomplish it.”

Student feels excitement mixed with ‘relief’

Another Foshay student and NAI scholar, Ashley Hernandez, is also celebrating her admission this week. She said she “felt a wave of relief” after learning she would be attending USC in the fall.

“I was really nervous sitting down at the kitchen table to check the email,” Hernandez said on Thursday. “My mom said to me, ‘It will be OK no matter what happens.’ I had worked so hard since middle school, and it was all coming down to that single moment.”

She looks forward to joining her older sister, freshman Kimberly Hernandez of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, on campus in the fall and, like her sister, will pursue a degree in international relations. Ashley Hernandez, who plays the tenor saxophone, hopes to join the USC Trojan Marching Band.

“We are both first-generation students, and our mom didn’t get access to higher education,” Hernandez said. “She is really happy to see both of her daughters get into a really good university.”

Admitted students have until May 1 to commit to the university.