Undergraduate students who wish to request a change in the evaluation of a transfer course may submit an articulation petition. The petition process is located under the “Course Transfer” tab of the student’s OASIS account, which can be accessed through the myUSC portal.
Before filing a petition, be sure your official transcripts have been transmitted to USC Admission (before you are formally admitted to USC) or Transfer Credit Services (after you are admitted). Official transcripts will be added to the student’s USC academic record and evaluated in the order they were received.
Deadline
USC policy requires that all articulation petitions regarding courses taken before entering USC should be initiated as soon as possible after matriculation and no later than the end of the first semester of study. The one semester time limit is in place to ensure students have complete and accurate transfer credit information as soon as possible after starting at USC so that they have a realistic understanding of how their transfer credit applies to their degree requirements. This allows students to develop the most efficient and effective course plan to complete their degree objective.
Students who have missed the deadline are eligible to request a one-time final appeal. Students requesting a final appeal will be charged a non-refundable $150 late petition fee per class, regardless of the outcome of the appeal. The decision on a final appeal will not be subject to further review.
Supporting Documentation
All petitions must be accompanied by supporting documentation, which can be attached during the online process. The absence of the following supporting materials can result in the petition being delayed or denied.
- The complete syllabus you received from your instructor on the first day of class is required. The syllabus should be from the correct term and instructor. General course outlines and/or syllabi from a different term or instructor are not appropriate.
- Any other course documents (class notes, exams, papers, letters from professors, lab reports [if relevant], etc.) that you feel will assist us in evaluating your petition. These cannot be submitted in lieu of the syllabus.
- A professional English translation to accompany original language documentation for courses taken at international institutions where English was not the language of instruction. Contact Transfer Credit Services for details.
- Final drafts of all papers written in a composition course are required for students petitioning equivalence to USC’s WRIT 130/150. The absence of writing will result in the denial of your petition.
We strongly prefer all supporting documentation be submitted electronically. The USC library system has scanning resources available to you if you need them. If you absolutely must submit hard copies of documents, please submit photocopies, as any hard-copy documentation will not be returned. You can submit hard copy materials to the Registrar One Stop Center located in the JHH lobby during normal business hours.
Processing
Once you submit a petition, you will receive a system-generated email acknowledging receipt of your petition and providing a processing period, generally 10-15 business days. This timeframe may be increased during extremely busy periods, so we ask that you make yourself aware of the processing time assigned to your petition. These processing periods are determined based upon the number of petitions received and resources available, and we will most likely need the full time allotted.
Once action has been taken on a petition, you will receive a notification email at your USC email address from transfercredit@usc.edu. Please be sure to check your spam or junk mail folder in the event that any email from this office has been routed there. You can also check to see if any action was taken by logging in to the petition process and clicking on the specific course in the “Check status of the petitioned course” column. This will display the most recent action taken on your petition. If nothing displays, no action has yet been taken. We appreciate your patience during the processing period.
Who Should File an Articulation Petition
USC undergraduates who:
- Would like to request a change in the evaluation of a transfer course as it appears on the Transfer Credit Report.
- Are appealing the decision of a previous articulation petition and are submitting additional documentation to support the appeal.
- Have been directed to do so by Transfer Credit Services, an academic advisor or Degree Progress.
- See a message on their Transfer Credit Report requesting a petition or a syllabus for a transfer course.
- Would like to combine transfer courses from different schools or academic departments for general education credit.
Who Should NOT File an Articulation Petition
Students who:
- Would like to change the way a USC course applies to their major requirements. For assistance, contact your major advisor.
- Would like to take a course during the summer after entering USC. Instead, students should submit a pre-approval request.
- Would like to know what kind of credit USC will give to courses that appear on the student’s Transfer Credit Report as Unknown or In Progress.
Graduate students also should not file articulation petitions.