Fee Waivers
Overview
Fee waivers are available to prospective students who meet the eligibility requirements. Please review these options to determine if you are eligible, and then make the appropriate selection to request a waiver.
The Office of Graduate Admission must approve your request before you can submit your application. If your fee waiver request is denied, you must pay the application fee.
Applying for a Fee Waiver
If you believe you qualify for a fee waiver, please complete the following steps:
- Start your online application and select the program you are planning to apply to.
- Determine the appropriate option from the fee waiver categories listed below and make sure that you have the documentation required for approval.
- Submit your documentation.
From the “Select an Area” drop-down, select Graduate Admission and the USC school you are applying to. Under “Category,” choose Application Fees Waivers. Please attach the appropriate documentation for the type of fee waiver you are requesting. (Refer to the Fee Waiver Categories below for more information.) Make sure to use the same email address you entered in your application and include the name of the program you are applying to. Failure to do so could cause considerable delay in processing your request.
You will receive an email notification if and when your fee waiver is approved. You must wait to receive this confirmation in order to skip the payment page when you submit your application. No refunds will be issued after your application is submitted.
Please note: Approval of fee waivers can take approximately 3 to 4 business days, so make sure to plan accordingly and submit your request in time to meet your application deadline.
Fee Waiver Categories
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Eligibility Requirements: You must be a current participant or recent alum (within the last two years) of one of these three programs.
Acceptable documentation: An official letter from the appropriate organization demonstrating your participation.
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Eligibility Requirements: You must be an alum of one of the following CHCI Leadership programs: CHCI Graduate Fellowship, Public Policy Fellowship or Congressional Internship.
Acceptable documentation: An official letter from CHCI demonstrating your participation.
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Contact us to request a fee waiver and to determine your next steps.
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Eligibility Requirements: You must be able to prove that paying the graduate application fee would cause financial hardship.
Acceptable documentation:
- A letter or memo from the financial aid office of the school you most recently attended (within the last year), stating that paying the application fee would constitute a financial hardship for you.
- Documentation from a state unemployment agency verifying that you are currently unemployed. Records such as tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements and personal correspondence will not be accepted as proof of hardship.
This option is not available to international students.
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Eligibility Requirements: You must provide a copy of your Fulbright eligibility award letter.
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Eligibility Requirements: You must be a current student or an alum of the Hebrew Union College.
Acceptable documentation: A copy of your transcript from the institution.
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Eligibility Requirements: You must be a current participant in this program.
Acceptable documentation: An official letter from IRT demonstrating your participation.
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Eligibility Requirements: You must be a current participant in the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program.
Acceptable documentation: An official letter demonstrating you are participating in the McNair Program at your current institution.
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Eligibility Requirements: You must be an active-duty military service member or veteran.
Acceptable documentation:
- A copy of your active-duty orders (if you are currently serving).
- A copy of your DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (if you are a veteran).
This option is not available to dependents of military personnel or veterans.
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Eligibility Requirements: You must be a current participant in one of these three programs.
Acceptable documentation: An official letter from the appropriate organization demonstrating your participation.
USC-Specific Waivers
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Eligibility Requirements: You must already hold a degree from USC (bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, M.D., etc.) or be currently enrolled in a degree program at the university.
Please provide your 10-digit USC ID (assigned to you during your program of study at USC) when you request the fee waiver. To be eligible, you need to have completed at least one semester of your academic program.
This option is not available if you are enrolled through our Limited Status option, are a short-term exchange student, visiting scholar, or participant in a USC summer program.
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Eligibility Requirements: Dual-degree program applicants must pay for their first application and are exempt from paying for the second application, as long as the programs they are applying for are valid dual degrees listed on the university’s website.
Prospective students applying to the Master’s in Global Media and Communication are also eligible for the dual-degree fee waiver.
When you request the fee waiver, please submit the application to your first program and then provide the name of the qualification for your dual degree program.
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Eligibility Requirements: You must be a USC faculty member or a full-time, permanent USC employee. You will also qualify if you are the spouse or dependent child of USC faculty or full-time staff.
When you request the fee waiver, please provide your 10-digit employee ID (if you work at the university) or the full name and employee ID of your family member (if your spouse or parent is the USC employee).
This option is not available for post-doctoral students, temporary USC employees, former USC employees, graduate students employed in an RA/TA position, independent contractors, or their dependents.
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Eligibility Requirements: Your intended graduate program has informed you in writing that they will be paying for your USC application fee.
Acceptable documentation: A copy of the official notification on USC letterhead, issued to you by your program of interest. The notification should clearly state the name of the program for which you have been granted the waiver, as well as the term for which it is valid.
