USC is a top private research university in Los Angeles, California known for combining top academics and an enviable social experience. Students look to USC as a transfer option, often, because they are seeking out a specific academic opportunity that their current school can’t fulfill — especially around supporting and conducting research. The climate doesn’t hurt, either. In the dead of winter, students in colder climes understandably look to the sunny potential of a California college.

As you consider applying to USC for transfer, it’s important to first know some of the nitty gritty of their transfer program.

The primary metric USC is measuring transfer applicants by is their academic performance. What you have done, the grades you have received, and the academic direction you have shown, is the single most important thing on your application. Without a stellar transcript, getting in is nearly impossible. Even with exceptional grades, the odds still aren’t awesome. In the most recently reported Common Data Set, for the fall of 2024, of transfer applicants were admitted. Of incoming transfers, more than half come from California community colleges, which is a mixed blessing. This shows that USC prioritizes offering California students an opportunity to finish their degree at a top-tier school. At the same, this also means that it is commensurately more difficult for students from schools outside of California to get in.

27% is a much higher transfer acceptance rate than many other top schools, but it certainly doesn’t mean that you can bet on USC as a transfer option even with a strong academic profile. What makes the difference, ultimately, is submitting a compelling application. That means going beyond the academics to show USC who you are, what you are dreaming about, and how USC fits into your future.

Successful transfer applicants one year of difficult college coursework completed while enrolled full-time, but they accept students as both incoming sophomores and juniors. The Middle 50% GPA for accepted transfer applicants is 3.73-4.00, and most students have more than 32 transferrable credits before matriculating to USC. Students coming from two year schools also have a strong advantage in transfer admissions for USC, as 63% of accepted transfers were coming from two-year schools while only 37% were applying from other four-year colleges.

Once you’ve checked the academic boxes, it’s time to build an application that stands out for more than great numbers. So, let’s get into the essays and supplements.  

We help driven students get into top universities through transfer admissions.  Learn More.

The USC application has a lot of prompts. Some are serious, while others are silly. All of them, though, truly matter. There are no ‘throw-away’ prompts, even when the premise feels absurd (favorite snack?).

THE TRANSFER ESSAYS

Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (Approximately 300 words)

Just as your grades are truly the most important quantitative piece of your transfer application, this supplement is the most important written piece. You can do everything else flawlessly, but if you can’t make a strong case for why you want to be at USC, they will not find a space for you as a transfer.

Before you can write this essay, you need to do some research. Identify your first choice major, a few classes you would love to take, and a professor or two you hope to study under. One could also be a professor you want to conduct research under, or be mentored by. As research is a key reason for why students seek out USC, providing details about what you are most interested in is especially valuable.  

Once you are all set up with research, it’s time to write. We recommend starting this supplement with a couple of sentences painting a picture of your academic passion — and you engaging with it. This could be you hunched over a lab bench, debating a historical event, or anything else directly related to your academic interest.

Then, transition to writing about how you want to continue this work, going deeper and learning more, at USC. Give the specifics you pulled together in your research. Bring in the second choice major, especially as it relates to your first choice major, and paint a compelling picture of you pursuing this course of study at USC. Remember to use language that communicates passion. USC wants to see your enthusiasm for learning!

Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring and how USC will support both your academic and personal goals. (Approximately 300 words)

This supplement is similar to the last one, so the first thing we want to make clear is that you should absolutely not repeat what you said earlier. There may be themes that carry through, and overarching messages, like your academic focus, but otherwise this should all be new information.  

Start with why you want to transfer, but put through a transfer admissions filter. USC does not want to hear about your social woes or how you think all the professors at your current school are idiots. The only thing they really need to know is why you need to transfer to accomplish your academic goals. How you’ve gotten to that realization, too, is important. Maybe your passion developed in an unexpected direction since getting to college, or maybe you took one class that completely changed how you imagine your future going. Whatever the reason, the outcome is that your current school isn’t the best place for you to pursue your subject of focus. Tell USC that story, and build upon the proposed academic framework you laid out in the previous supplement.  

Then, look beyond your undergraduate education. What comes next, and how will USC get you there?

Starting with the beginning of high school/secondary school, if you have had a gap where you were not enrolled in school during a fall or spring term, please address this gap in your educational history. You do not need to address a summer break. (2,500 characters)

This supplement doesn’t apply to all applicants, but for those for whom it does apply we recommend approaching a response from an angle of exploration and learning — not excuses. Whether you left school to work, to travel, or to deal with family or personal responsibilities, own your experiences and tell a story that embraces what you learned along the way. Remember, story is your friend. Bringing what you have done to life makes the application reader feel connected to you, and sets your application on a course toward an acceptance.

Describe yourself in three words. (literally just 3 words)

For this supplement, they are really looking for three words. Do not try to be clever here by mashing extra words in somehow. One of the things that the application readers are looking for is your ability to follow directions, so show them that you can by picking a fun word, an academic word, and a word that illustrates your character (not necessarily in that order).

SUPER SHORT ANSWERS (about 10 words)

After the long supplements and the three words one come the super short answers. These are about 10 words each, and USC is known for these. Remember, all answers matter. None of these are “throw away” supplements, so brainstorm, draft, and refine before finalizing your responses.  

What is your favorite snack?

We like answers here that are descriptive beyond brand name. Answers like a bowl of homework-time popcorn, a protein bar on a long hike, or Oreos in peanut butter watching 90s movies, say something about you beyond your snack-time cravings.  

Best movie of all time:

Don’t try to be cool here – be honest. For you, it may be a Pixar classic, a recent release, an indie foreign flick, or Legally Blonde. Don’t try to sound fancy though. Whatever you pick should resonate with the rest of your application. If you are a seaweed snacks and Anime films person, that’s cool. Be you.  

Dream job

This should connect to your prospective major, but it doesn’t need to be completely on the nose. A literature student doesn’t need to become a teacher or a writer, just as a biology major doesn’t have to go into research or med school. Maybe you see yourself going from psychology to law school. 

If your life had a theme song, what would it be?

We like songs here that are earnest and, importantly, clean. If you pick a song based on one lyric you find impactful, but the rest is explicit, there is no guarantee that they won’t be put off by all the bits you were betting on them overlooking.

Dream trip

This can be truly fun, but we like some culture or engagement mixed in. Don’t say “London,” say “exploring V&A visible storage after tea.”

What TV show will you binge watch next?

Skip over reality TV and Heated Rivalry, but otherwise nearly anything is fair game.

Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate?

Fun question! We love fictional responses, so pull from a childhood favorite. Winnie The Pooh might be a fun guy to live next to, or Percy Jackson.

Favorite book:

For this one, we recommend a more elevated response (not Harry Potter, for example). It could be fiction, nonfiction, or even a celebrity memoir.

If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?

Remember, you need to teach. Write the name of a class that you could genuinely teach with what you know right now. Sock knitting, the physics of whitewater kayaking, or a spoon carving/soup carving hybrid are all fair game.  

Don’t wait to finish these essays and short answers to get everything else started. Give yourself time to pull everything together. USC wants the transcripts from all of the two or four-year colleges you have attended, plus your high school transcript. Admission to certain programs also requires a portfolio, audition, additional letters of recommendation, or writing samples. It can take a while to pull everything together, so start as far ahead of the February deadline as possible.

Strong outcomes require personalized strategy. Contact us for yours.