Top 5 Things to Do After Applying to USC
You’ve pressed “submit” on your application to USC – congratulations! Wondering if there are any next steps? Check out our top five things to do after applying.
Set up your USC Applicant Portal
A day or two after you apply, you’ll get an email confirming that you submitted your application. The subject line will read “USC Admission Has Received Your Application – Set Up Your Applicant Portal Today!” Once you open this email, it will have the PIN you’ll need to set up your USC portal. From there you can check the status of your materials and, eventually, see your admission decision.
Be patient as we process your materials
If you’ve submitted your Common Application by the deadline, your application is considered on time – even if materials like transcripts, recommendation letters, or test scores arrive a little later. We receive thousands of documents that we need to process which includes transcripts, letters of recommendations, and test scores. It takes us about two to three weeks to process documents during our busy season, so please give us some time. There may be additional delays if documents lack proper identifying information. For example, if the name on your test scores does not exactly match the name on your application.
A green check mark will only appear on your USC Applicant Portal next to items we have processed which means that we may have already received those materials, but they just have not been added to our system yet. *
*Please note that the USC Applicant Portal checklist will not list letters of recommendation or SlideRoom as items. First-year applicants may also notice that transcripts are not listed either.
Sign the Applicant Affirmation and Notice of Potential Audit
Your application is not considered complete until you electronically sign the Application Affirmation form, which can be accessed through your USC Applicant Portal. The notification that the form is ready to be signed will come a couple of days after you submit your application.
If applicable, upload your test scores
If you have indicated on Common App that you would like your SAT or ACT standardized test score to be considered with your application, you can upload your score report through your USC Applicant Portal. International applicants who are required to submit English proficiency exams may also upload an unofficial score report for review purposes. Score reports must include your name, date of the exam, and all sections from that sitting.
Students that ultimately enroll at USC will be required to submit official test scores if unofficial scores were used during the application process.
And finally…
5. BREATHE
Take a deep breath, relax and congratulate yourself on a job well done! You did all that you could, submitted all the required materials, and now all you have to do is wait. Give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy some time to yourself!