1. How do I find out which courses transfer for credit to USC?
Policies regarding transferable coursework can be found in the Course Work Taken Elsewhere section of the USC Catalogue. Most college-level courses from appropriately accredited schools will earn elective units in transfer. Some courses are also eligible for subject credit, General Education, Writing, Foreign Language, and USC course equivalence. For more information about transfer policies, please see our Transferring to USC brochure.
In 2015, USC revised its General Education program. Students who started college as first-time freshmen in fall 2015 or later, or who will be first-time freshmen this year, should follow the General Education Program Requirements, or “New GE,” established in 2015.
Students who started at any college or university before fall 2015 will follow the GE Program in effect prior to fall 2015, or “PRIOR GE.”
If you have questions about which GE Program requirements you will be following, please ask your admission counselor.
2. How should I figure out which transfer classes to take in the fall?
You can find articulation agreements with many California community colleges that state exactly what credit courses will receive. USC will honor the transfer credit shown on these agreements. Note that the articulation agreements currently display subject credit for the NEW GE Program. Incoming students following the NEW GE Program may use these resources to review elective credit, GE, Writing, Foreign Language, and USC course equivalence.
For schools without an agreement, USC maintains an articulation history for each school from which we have received transfer work. Articulation histories are unofficial summaries of courses that students have reported. These are not comprehensive and will vary significantly in the number of classes available, depending on the number of students who have reported transfer work from each institution. Articulation histories displayed are term specific, and students selecting a term of fall 2014 or earlier will see the PRIOR GE Program credit we have awarded in the past. The Spring Admission Program can help you access the articulation history for your transfer institution and use it to help you select your fall classes.
3. What if I’m taking courses at a school that doesn’t appear on the Articulation homepage?
First, check the Transferring to USC booklet, which provides guidelines for determining if a course transfers for elective credit and/or fulfills a graduation requirement.
Second, view our Transfer Planning Guide (TPG). For many institutions, the TPG will display courses that we have evaluated and earn subject credit or satisfy lower division requirements for the selected major. The TPG does NOT contain a complete list of courses taught at these colleges. Therefore, if the school you are planning to attend is not listed or the courses you want to take do not appear, please continue to the third step.
Third, sign up for a course planning webinar (if you have not done so already). These sessions will help you learn more about transfer credit policies, identify courses that have transferred from your college in the past, and answer any questions you may have. You can sign up through your USC Applicant Portal.
4. What courses will apply to my USC major?
Requirements for majors are described in the USC Catalogue. Most departments prefer that students take General Education requirements and courses preparatory to the major (if applicable) before starting at USC, and then take major coursework at USC.
5. Where can I get help planning my fall courses before entering USC?
If you have not done so already, we encourage you to sign up for a course planning webinar, offered through the Spring Admission Program, for assistance and resources regarding course planning and your overall transition to USC. This webinar will help you understand how the transfer credit process works in general and find the articulation history for any courses we have accepted from your transfer institution in the past.
Please note that, due to the high demand for transfer credit evaluations for newly admitted fall students, summer pre-approval of transfer coursework for new spring admits is not available.
For more information, please visit the askUSC portal or call the Admission and Financial Aid Contact Center at (213) 740-1111.
6. Can I transfer study abroad courses?
Possibly, but not all overseas programs transfer to USC. Every study abroad program is different and there are several variables that might affect transfer credit. However, USC looks for the following basic criteria to determine if a program will transfer.
Study Abroad Opportunities for Spring Admits
USC has established agreements with five American institutions in Europe. Each has U.S. accreditations and provides instruction in English. Courses that fulfill USC requirements may be taken at any of these institutions. Refer to the enrollment options listed on the Spring Admit page for more information.
Programs Through U.S. Colleges and Universities
The U.S. institution providing the transcript must be regionally accredited, and USC expects that the U.S. institution’s faculty will either teach the courses being transferred or retain direct, detailed curricular oversight over the program. If the program involves enrolling directly in an international institution, the foreign university must be approved by its own country’s Ministry of Education to grant undergraduate degrees, and the courses must be part of the regular degree curriculum and be applicable to a degree at that institution.
Direct Enroll Programs at International Institutions
Some students enroll directly at an international university. The foreign university must be approved by its own country’s Ministry of Education to grant undergraduate degrees. The courses the student takes must be part of the host institution’s regular degree curriculum* and be applicable to a degree** at that institution. USC expects that faculty from this institution will either teach the courses being transferred or retain direct, detailed curricular oversight over the program.
Transfer credit from this type of program also requires an evaluation from our foreign credit evaluation service, the International Education Research Foundation (IERF), which cannot be completed in advance. After students complete the program, they should set up a discounted account with IERF and provide original, authentic transcripts to IERF for review. IERF will then make credit recommendations directly to USC. There is an additional fee for the Detail Report, so we strongly recommend that you research the program you plan to attend to ascertain whether or not it is a program USC has already determined will transfer (as described here).
*Many schools have created programs with an “American-style” curriculum designed to earn credit at U.S. universities. These programs generally have “American-style” course numbers and titles/content (e.g., Intro to U.S. Politics, U.S. History 1, etc.) and are taught by faculty visiting for a term from schools throughout the U.S. These courses are not part of the regular degree curriculum at the host institution, and USC does not accept these programs for transfer credit.
**Some schools create summer sessions intended solely for study abroad students to give them an experience with the host institution’s faculty and content. These courses are not part of the regular degree curriculum, generally are not open to regular degree-seeking students and, in most cases, are not applicable to a degree at the host institution. USC does not accept these programs for transfer credit.
Programs Taught by Unaccredited or Unrecognized Institutions
Many students study abroad through unaccredited institutions such as language institutes, schools that are not approved by their home government to grant university degrees, or for-profit study abroad organizations. Although such programs may offer students the chance to receive a transcript from an accredited or recognized institution (often for a fee), USC will not accept these programs for transfer credit. USC expects that the host institution providing the transcript will teach the courses, and/or retain direct, detailed curricular oversight over the courses offered, and meet all the criteria listed above.
7. Can I receive transfer credit for online courses?
In most cases, online courses will receive the same credit in transfer as the classroom version at the sending institution. However, online or hybrid laboratory science classes will not satisfy GE Categories 3 (pre-2015 GE program), D or E, nor earn equivalence to USC lab science courses. Online or hybrid foreign language courses are not equivalent to USC foreign language courses, nor will they fulfill the language requirement.
If you take a traditional classroom version of one of these courses at a school where the course is also available online, we cannot guarantee equivalence or subject credit in advance. You will need to provide additional documentation after you complete the course to demonstrate that you were enrolled in the classroom version of the class. Documentation typically includes a registration summary and your course syllabus. Please keep copies of all related materials.
Any courses taught in non-traditional settings or timeframes, including compact intersessions or open-ended distance education courses, require individual review after completion of the course. In these cases, no advance guarantee of credit can be made.