Admission, Tuition and Fees

Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis as applications are submitted. Classes fill quickly, so students should submit their application as early as possible.

• Applicants must have completed at least the ninth grade by the start of summer programs.
• Applicants should be pursuing a rigorous high school curriculum.
• Applicants are required to attend all class meetings beginning Monday, June 22, 2026. Late arrivals or attendance cannot be accommodated.
• Applicants may be either a domestic or international student.

In addition to the requirements listed above, international applicants must demonstrate English proficiency in one of the following ways:

• Minimum scores of 600 on the SAT Critical Reading exam (previous SAT) or 650 on the SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Exam (redesigned SAT) or 27 on the ACT English exam
• A minimum score of 100 on the TOEFL iBT (with a minimum score of 20 in each section) on TOEFL exams taken before January 21, 2026
• A minimum TOEFL iBT band score of 5 (with a minimum score of 4 in each section) on TOEFL exams taken after January 22, 2026
• A minimum IELTS score of 7
• A minimum PTE score of 68
• A minimum Duolingo English Test score of 120
• English Language Proficiency Waiver

• Applicants may apply to three courses, but will be admitted into and enrolled in only one course. Each course requires five to six hours of instruction per day. It is not possible for students to enroll in multiple courses.
• If an applicant’s preferred course is full or canceled for any reason and they are a qualified applicant, they will be admitted into and enrolled in their second or third choice course. Applicants will be contacted via email by the USC Summer Programs office if a space in their preferred course becomes available.
• Applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the program by email. The notification will be sent to the email address provided during the online registration. Be sure to use an email address that is checked frequently.
• Applicants are responsible to monitor the status of their application and the submission of application documents via the application portal. Applications will not be reviewed until all tasks have been completed and submitted. Students will be notified via email only when their application has been submitted.

All communication from the USC Summer Programs office, including application status, program updates and payment, will be sent through email. When registering for the application, students must use an email address that is checked frequently.

• Complete and submit the online application through the application portal:
  • A 300-500 word essay written by the applicant (essay prompts are accessible in the application portal).
  • Request a teacher, counselor or mentor who can comment on the applicant’s academic achievement, level of maturity and personal integrity to complete the online letter of recommendation form.
  • Request a school administrator upload a PDF high school transcript via the applicant’s online application; the request must be sent to a school official’s professional email address.
  • Pay the $85 nonrefundable application fee.
• Once all tasks have been completed, review and click “Submit” in the application portal.

All applicants are expected to complete the USC Summer Programs application materials without the use of paid agents, credentials services or other paid professional assistance. The use of such services, plagiarizing, copying or collaborating with others may lead to the rejection of application materials, the revocation of an admissions offer, cancellation of admission or involuntary withdrawal from USC Summer Programs.

Note: The USC Summer Programs application is only used for the USC Summer Programs admissions process. Admission to and/or participation in this program does not guarantee admission to USC or its various schools. Students interested in applying to an undergraduate degree program must follow the application procedures set forth by the USC Office of Admission.

All application tasks must be submitted by this date and time to be considered for USC Summer Programs 2026.

Domestic Student Application: May 8, 2026

International Student Application: March 13, 2026

Note: Students are required to pay a nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 to secure their seat in their accepted course. This deposit will be applied to the total program cost.

In addition to the cost above, international students are required to pay the following USC fees for additional mandatory university services. Furthermore, international students needing an F-1 visa have extra costs that are paid directly to the U.S. government. Additional country-based fees vary from country to country. Please visit the U.S. Department of State’s website to see if your country has additional issuance fees.

See below for a breakdown of the additional USC services fees and the U.S. government fees. Please note that citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not need a visa and therefore are not required to pay a visa application fee. However, these citizens will still require an USC I-20 form to enter the U.S. Therefore, it is imperative that these citizens receive a USC I-20, pay the SEVIS I-901 fee and show receipt of these documents to the U.S. Customs officer when crossing the border.

Tuition
Instructional costs. Four-week course tuition is based on the USC standard tuition rate for the three units of university elective credit awarded.

Course Materials and Academic Field Trips
This fee will cover the cost of academic field trips, textbooks and additional materials requested by academic instructors. These materials and academic field trips are not included in the program fee.

Program Fee
The program fee will cover the cost of on-campus social activities and off-campus recreational trips. Please note that additional spending money for shopping during off-campus trips is not included in the program fee.

Room and Board
Room and board fee will cover a shared room in a residence hall, three meals a day in the USC dining hall, meals on academic field trips and two meals on Saturdays before non-academic field trips. Commuter meals can be purchased à la carte.

Student Health Center
The student health center fee is mandatory for access to the University Park Student Health Center.

Students who do not submit proof of personal health insurance by the deadline will also be enrolled in and billed for the USC Student Health Insurance Policy, which is separate from the health center fee. International students and students currently living abroad are automatically enrolled in the USC Student Health Insurance Policy for the duration of the program.

All cancellation requests must be made in writing to summer@usc.edu. Application fees or deposits are nonrefundable. Any tuition paid to the university will be refunded, not including fees and deposits, if processed before the university withdrawal date of June 26, 2026. The university will not refund tuition, room and board, or any other program fees for students dismissed from the program or unable to enter the country due to an improper visa.