USC will begin offering Early Decision admissions — in which a student is bound to their acceptance if admitted — for most undergraduate majors in the 2027-2028 academic year.
In a release to the university community Monday morning, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew T. Guzman announced that all undergraduate programs except the USC Kaufman School of Dance, the USC Thornton School of Music and the USC School of Dramatic Arts will admit their first Early Decision Students by mid-December 2026.
“After a successful pilot that occurred this past fall within the Marshall School of Business, the university will offer an Early Decision option to nearly all undergraduate programs in response to growing demand from students who are confident that USC is their top choice college,” Guzman wrote in the release.
Currently, the university offers Early Action admissions — in which students may be admitted early but are not required to enroll — for first-year applicants in most undergraduate majors, excluding performing arts programs.
Early Decision admissions will share the same Nov. 1 application deadline as Early Action, but students admitted through Early Decision may not apply to other institutions, according to the release.
Early Decision applicants will be notified of their admission decision by mid-December and must enroll at USC, withdrawing any pending applications to other universities.
Early Action applicants will still be notified of their admissions or option to defer to Regular Decision by mid- to late January. The Regular Decision application deadline remains Dec. 1.
Applicants not admitted in an early round will be deferred to Regular Decision. Early application students will still be considered for need-based financial aid and eligible for USC merit scholarships, Guzman added in the announcement.