Graduate applicants must submit official transcripts from all colleges, universities, and other post-secondary institutions previously attended.
To ensure that your transcripts are properly submitted and meet USC admission review criteria, please carefully read the information below.
Transcripts and other academic records must be issued directly by the registrar’s office of your previous school(s) and bear the official registrar’s stamp/signature. Unofficial records such as student portal print-outs are not acceptable for the purposes of admission review.
Applicants who completed their previous studies outside the United States must check our country-specific requirements to determine if we need original-language copies of their academic records.
In these cases, we need: A) transcripts issued in the original language of instruction, and B) a separate, word-for-word, English-language translation of all records. The translation should be issued either directly from the school itself or by a professional, certified translator. It must contain all information shown on the original-language documents and “mirror” it as precisely as possible. Dual-language transcripts are also acceptable.
USC does not accept credential evaluation reports from outside agencies (e.g., WES, ECE, etc.) for the purposes of admission review. Only academic records issued directly by the school are acceptable.
Transcripts can be submitted via one of the following three options:
1) If you already have official transcripts on hand, you may scan and upload them directly to the “Academic History” section of the online application. Do not upload unofficial student portal print-outs.
2) Official hard-copy transcripts can be sent via postal mail or courier to USC.
If sending your transcripts via regular mail, please use the following address:
University of Southern California
USC Office of Graduate Admission
3601 South Flower Street, Room 112
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0915
If sending your transcripts via courier, please use the following address:
University of Southern California
USC Office of Graduate Admission and Financial Aid
3601 South Flower Street, Tyler 112
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0915
3) Official e-transcripts can be transmitted directly to USC by your previous institution(s).
IMPORTANT: If you are submitting transcripts via options 2 or 3, please do not send them until after you have submitted your online application and received your 10-digit USC ID number.
Finally, please note that some USC graduate departments prefer that transcripts be sent directly to them, rather than the central Graduate Admission processing office. To verify your department’s policy, refer to the website of your intended graduate program. You are responsible for confirming receipt by the department in such cases.
Current USC students and/or alumni do not need to submit transcripts of their USC coursework. Please be sure to include your USC enrollment in the “Academic Background” section so that we may match your application to the academic records already on file.
We recommend that you fill out the “College/University Transcript Cover Page” and send it to the registrar’s office of each post-secondary institution you have attended. Although it is not mandatory, including it along with your USC ID number will help us match your transcripts to your file more quickly.
Transcripts and all other materials submitted for admission consideration become the property of USC. The university does not return or duplicate materials for any reason whatsoever. The information and materials in your submitted application are made available only to the central Office of Admission and the admission committee of the academic department or professional school to which you have applied.