SAT scores & admissions · updated 2026
University of Southern California SAT scores, admissions & trends
Admitted students who enrolled at University of Southern California typically score between 1450 and 1550 on the SAT (the middle 50%); the 75th percentile, 1550, is a strong target. The school admits about 9.8% of applicants. Reading & Writing runs 710–760 and Math 740–790. Data: fall 2024 entering class.
Typical SAT scores for enrolled students
Middle 50% · fall 2024 entering class
University of Southern California admits 9.8% of applicants, so SAT position alone doesn't predict admission.
How your score compares
What ABOVE, WITHIN and BELOW RANGE mean
- Above range — your score beats the 75th percentile of enrolled students (1550).
- Within range — your score sits between 1450 and 1550.
- Below range — your score is under the 25th percentile (1450).
University of Southern California at a glance
9.8%
−2.7 pts since 2021
3,489
−5% since 2021
43%
96%
$72,097
$32,740
92%
$92,498
Where this data comes from
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (fall 2024 entering class for admit rate and the SAT ranges; retention, graduation and net price from the latest cohorts in the same release). First-year class size and yield come from the IPEDS Admissions survey for fall 2024; total undergraduates from IPEDS Fall Enrollment. Median earnings are for students who received federal aid, measured ten years after they first enrolled.
How has University of Southern California's admit rate changed?
Applications are up 15% since 2021, while the admit rate has moved from 12.5% to 9.8%.
Where this data comes from
NCES IPEDS Admissions survey (applicants, admits, enrolled first-time students) for fall 2018–2024; the admit rate is admits ÷ applicants for each year. Fall 2024 is not yet published by IPEDS, so the latest year shown is 2024; the Scorecard's admit rate in the tiles above (9.8%) is for the fall 2024 entering class. The callout compares 2021 — the last year before test-optional application volumes settled — with 2024. The chart shows 2018–2024; ten years are stored.
Early Decision & waitlist
Fall 2025 entering class, from the school's own Common Data Set.
Regular Decision (derived) verified
- Applied
- 83,455
- Admitted
- 9,339
- Admit rate
- 11%
Source: University of Southern California Common Data Set 2025–26. Early Action counts aren't in the Common Data Set (it collects Early Decision numbers only), so no EA admit rate is shown.
How to read these numbers
Applied and Admitted are the school's own counts for that plan (section C21 of its Common Data Set). Regular Decision, where shown, is derived — everyone not counted in an early plan — so it also includes Early Action applicants at schools that don't publish an EA count. Waitlist figures come from section C2: students offered a place, those who accepted it, and those eventually admitted. Numbers marked verified were checked against the published document by hand.
Similar schools
Similar colleges based on SAT range, admit rate, and location.
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Where this data comes from: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, data release June 10, 2026 — SAT ranges are the 25th–75th percentiles of enrolled first-year students, fall 2024 entering class; total-score ranges are the sum of the section percentiles. Admissions history: NCES IPEDS Admissions and Fall Enrollment surveys. Early Decision and waitlist counts: the school's own Common Data Set. School marks are the property of their respective institutions and are used for identification only.
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