USC accepts both sophomore and junior transfers. That means that transfer students can apply during their first year at another institution or wait until they have more units under their belt. Of course, this applies to students with a more traditional trajectory. Do know that USC also works with and admits non-traditional students who have spent more than one or two years elsewhere (for various reasons). Ultimately, the decision of when to apply to transfer to USC—as a sophomore or a junior—is a very personal one. And there are advantages to each.
Reasons for transferring to USC as a sophomore:
You’ll be able to complete the minimum requirements for USC (math and writing) and any for your major (e.g. the Math 118 or Math 125 equivalent for Marshall).
You weren’t admitted to USC in the first-year application process and you know that USC is absolutely the place you want to be.
You went elsewhere and, after a short amount of time there, realized it wasn’t the right fit.
You have relatively strong high school work.
You have lots of AP credit, IB credit, or college work completed prior to high school graduation—so you won’t be able to take as many GE-equivalent and lower-division major courses at your current institution.
You’re in a program at another school where you’re locked into a sequence of courses that will not apply towards GEs and lower-division courses for your USC major—even if they’ll transfer for elective credit.
You want more time to take advantage of USC’s offerings—from academics to study abroad to clubs and organizations to internship opportunities.
Reasons for transferring to USC as a junior:
You won’t be able to complete the minimum requirements for USC and any for your major because you had to remediate in courses.
You aren’t sure what you want to pursue as your major and need more time to figure it out.
You have a relatively poor high school record and want to show us that you’ve really turned things around in lots of strong work.
You want to complete as many USC graduation requirements as you can prior to entering USC so that you can hit the ground running and focus on your major once at USC.
You want to apply to other schools that only accept students as incoming juniors (such as the UCs and Cal States).
If you’re attending a community college… You want to save as much money as possible by completing less work at USC.
Or you
You want to complete your AA.
I am sure that there are many other reasons why one option is better than the other for you. The choice is yours to make. Do know that, if you’re not admitted to USC as a transfer student the first time around (say, as an incoming sophomore), you can reapply the following year.
Written by: Anne Aubert-Santelli, Associate Director – USC Office of Admission