USC Releases Admission Statistics for Fall 2014

One in eight admitted students would be the first in their families to attend college

Contact: Merrill Balassone at (213) 509-7805 or balasson@usc.edu

April 8, 2014 — More than 51,800 accomplished high school seniors from all 50 U.S. states and 80 other countries applied for an estimated 2,750 places in this fall’s entering class of USC, reflecting continued strong interest from international students and U.S. applicants alike.

Timothy Brunold, USC’s dean of admission, said: “Our admission committee enjoyed getting to know the largest, most interesting group of students it has ever had the privilege of reading. In fact, USC’s fall 2014 entering class represents the most accomplished group of first-year students our university has ever seen. Our faculty, students, staff and alumni are eagerly waiting to see who will enroll this fall. USC’s distinctive academic programs, incredible diversity, vibrant campus life, global perspective and location in the heart of Los Angeles make it a very attractive option for the best and brightest students, not just from across the U.S., but from around the world.”

The university maintains a strong commitment to financial aid for undergraduate students and continues to increase the amount of funding available. The university offers what it believes is the largest pool of university-funded financial aid of any private university in the country, providing more than $285 million from all university sources to currently enrolled undergraduates.

Two-thirds of USC undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. USC admits students without regard to ability to pay, and meets the full demonstrated need of admitted students. USC enrolled 24 percent low-income undergraduate students in fall 2013, as defined by Pell Grant eligibility. Students’ socioeconomic status has no impact on their graduation rate.

More facts about USC’s financial aid program are available here.

USC Admission by the Numbers

The admitted pool of 9,225 students was selected from a highly competitive and diverse group of 51,800 applicants with broad geographic, ethnic and socioeconomic representation. This year’s admission rate, 17.8 percent, is the lowest in USC’s history.

The following points provide a broad academic and demographic overview of the fall 2014 pool of students admitted to USC (enrollment commitments are due May 1, and these numbers may change):

• The vast majority of admitted freshmen rank in the top 10 percent of their high school’s graduating class, 75 percent have standardized test scores at or above the 95th percentile, and their average un-weighted high school GPA is 3.82 (on a 4-point scale)

• Nearly half of admitted freshmen enrolled in eight or more AP courses in high school

• More than 3,150 high schools are represented in the admitted freshman class

• Overall, 44 percent of admitted students are from California, with 17 percent representing 80 foreign countries. The remaining 39 percent come from the other 49 states and U.S. territories.

• Seven percent of admitted students are Black, 12 percent Latino, 2 percent Native American/Pacific Islander and 26 percent Asian. Overall, 21 percent are from under-represented minority populations (Black, Latino or Native American). In addition, 13 percent of admitted students would be the first in their family to attend college. USC enrolls more under-represented minority undergraduates than most private research universities in the country: 3,328 as of fall 2013, or 18 percent of all undergraduates.

• Outside California, the leading U.S. states for students admitted to USC are, in order: Texas, New York, Illinois, Washington, Florida and New Jersey. The most-represented foreign countries are China, South Korea, India, Canada and Taiwan.

Information on USC Admissions is available at: www.usc.edu/admission.