USC Acceptance Rate: Class of 2030 Admissions Statistics

The University of Southern California’s (USC) acceptance rate for the Class of 2030 was 11.67%, with 9,251 students admitted out of 79,290 applicants. This is a slight uptick from the 11.19% recorded for the Class of 2029, driven primarily by a decrease in overall applications rather than a significant expansion of the admitted class.

For the Class of 2030, USC received around 40,000 Early Action (EA) applications and admitted approximately 3,800 students, resulting in an EA acceptance rate of 9.5%. Regular Decision results were released in April 2026, with USC admitting 5,451 students from 39,290 RD applicants for a rate of 13.87%.

This blog covers USC’s latest overall, EA, RD, waitlist, and transfer acceptance rates, plus how each has changed over the years.

• USC Acceptance Rates
• USC Early Action Acceptance Rate
• USC Regular Decision Acceptance Rate
• USC Transfer Acceptance Rate
• USC Waitlist Acceptance Rate
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

USC Acceptance Rates

USC’s acceptance rate for the Class of 2030 was 11.67%, up slightly from 11.19% for the Class of 2029. While USC admitted slightly fewer students (9,251 vs. 9,345), applications also fell by more than 4,000, from 83,488 to 79,290, which pushed the rate up modestly. The level of competitiveness remains broadly similar between the two years.

That said, the long-term trend is clear: USC is significantly harder to get into than it was a decade ago. Here’s how the numbers have trended over time:

Note: All data has been compiled from USC’s Common Data Set.

USC’s acceptance rate has been on a general downward trend over the past decade, falling from 15.95% for the Class of 2021 to a low of 9.81% for the Class of 2028.

A significant part of that shift came when USC went test-optional for the Class of 2025, triggering a surge in applications from 59,712 to 71,031. In the same year, USC only admitted about 1,000 more students than the previous year, pushing the rate down from 16.11% to 12.51%. Selectivity continued to tighten through the Class of 2028 before stabilizing in the low double digits for the Classes of 2029 and 2030.

USC Early Action Acceptance Rate

For the Class of 2030, USC received around 40,000 Early Action applications and admitted approximately 3,800 students, resulting in an EA acceptance rate of 9.5%. This is slightly higher than the 8.37% EA acceptance rate for the Class of 2029, where USC admitted 3,524 students out of 42,119 early applicants, and continues the upward trend in EA admit rates since the program launched.

USC Early Action acceptance rate trends

USC’s EA acceptance rate has risen steadily since the program was introduced for the Class of 2027, climbing from 6.12% to 9.5% for the Class of 2030, the highest EA rate since USC introduced Early Action for the Class of 2027. Here is the full breakdown by class year:

Note: Class of 2030 data is based on USC’s EA admissions announcements. All other data is from USC’s First-Year Student Profile. 

The number of EA applicants has remained relatively stable, hovering between 40,000 and 42,000 each cycle. The growth in the admit rate is largely driven by USC admitting more students early, rising from 2,467 for the Class of 2027 to approximately 3,800 for the Class of 2030.

It is worth noting that despite the rising EA rate, EA remains more competitive than RD across all available cycles, so applying early does not automatically improve your odds. Starting with the 2027–28 application cycle, USC will also introduce an Early Decision (ED) option for students who are confident USC is their first choice.

USC Regular Decision Acceptance Rate

USC’s RD acceptance rate for the Class of 2030 was 13.87%, with 5,451 students admitted from 39,290 applicants. This is slightly lower than the 14.07% recorded for the Class of 2029, where 5,821 students were admitted from 41,369 RD applicants.

USC Regular Decision acceptance rate trends

USC’s RD acceptance rate has remained relatively stable in recent cycles, fluctuating in a narrow range driven more by shifts in application volume than by major changes in class size. Here is the full breakdown by class year:

Note: RD figures are estimates derived by subtracting EA data from overall totals in USC’s official admissions announcements and Common Data Set.

Since USC introduced EA starting with the Class of 2027, the rate has stayed in a fairly narrow range, with the RD acceptance rates consistently being higher than EA rates. This means applicants have a slightly better statistical chance in the RD round.

USC Transfer Acceptance Rate

USC’s most recent transfer acceptance rate is 27.1%, based on Fall 2025 data. Here’s the breakdown:

Note: Data is from USC’s Transfer Student Profile.

With a 27.1% acceptance rate, USC’s transfer admission rate is more than double its overall freshman admit rate of 11.67% for the Class of 2030, making the transfer pathway considerably less competitive than applying as a first-year student.

USC Waitlist Acceptance Rate

USC doesn’t use a waitlist for undergraduate admissions. Unlike many other selective universities that use waitlists to manage enrollment numbers, USC simply admits or denies applicants, with no in-between option.

This means there’s no formal queue of applicants waiting for spots to open up after decisions are released. When fall enrollment reaches capacity, USC may instead offer spring admission to a select group of applicants.

If you want to learn more about how spring admission works at USC, check out our detailed guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is USC’s current acceptance rate?

USC’s current acceptance rate is 11.67% for the Class of 2030, with 9,251 students admitted out of 79,290 applicants.

2. Is it easier to get into USC through Early Action or Regular Decision?

Statistically, RD is easier to get into than EA. For the Class of 2030, USC’s EA acceptance rate was 9.5% compared to 13.87% for RD, a trend that has held across all cycles since USC introduced EA. EA applicants tend to be among the strongest in the pool, which likely plays a role in those numbers.

3. How hard is it to transfer to USC?

Transferring to USC is competitive, but considerably less so than freshman admissions. USC’s transfer acceptance rate for Fall 2025 was 27.1%, more than double the overall freshman rate of 11.67% for the Class of 2030.

4. Does USC have a waitlist?

No, USC does not have a traditional waitlist. Instead, when fall enrollment reaches capacity, USC may offer spring admission to a select group of applicants.

5. Why is USC’s acceptance rate so low?

USC’s acceptance rate reflects the gap between growing application volume and a limited number of available spots. As one of the most prominent universities in the country, USC routinely attracts over 70,000 to 80,000 applications each year but can only admit roughly 9,000 to 10,000 students.

Takeaways

• USC’s acceptance rate edged up to 11.67% for the Class of 2030, from 11.19% for the Class of 2029, driven primarily by a decline in applications rather than a meaningful expansion of the admitted class.
• Applying EA does not automatically improve your odds. The Class of 2030 EA rate of 9.5% was lower than the RD rate of 13.87%, partly because EA tends to attract the strongest applicants.
• USC does not use a traditional waitlist. When fall enrollment reaches capacity, the university may offer spring admission to a select group of applicants instead.
• Transfer applicants have a significantly better shot, with USC’s Fall 2025 transfer acceptance rate at 27.1%, more than double the freshman rate of 11.67%.
• If you’re applying to USC, working with a college admissions expert can help you navigate the process, strengthen your application, and put your best foot forward in one of the more competitive admissions pools in the country.