English Proficiency

Academic success at USC is strongly dependent upon the ability to communicate in English. Listening, speaking, reading and writing proficiency must be well developed in order to assimilate large amounts of difficult material under time constraints with full comprehension. Such proficiency is much greater than that required for everyday life. Therefore, it is important to acquire English proficiency prior to entering the university.

Admitted international students are normally required to take the International Student English (ISE) Exam at the beginning of the first term of study. The results of the examination determine whether or not students must take courses in English.

Any student not demonstrating adequate English proficiency will be required to enroll in the American Language Institute (ALI) at USC. ALI provides courses designed to improve an international student’s oral and writing skills in English. The extent to which a student may be required to take courses at the ALI is determined by his or her performance on the ISE Exam. After completing the ISE Exam, some students may have no ALI requirement, while others may be required to take ALI courses concurrently with their regular USC courses. Students may be required to enroll in additional ALI classes beyond their initial ISE placement based on their level of placement and progress in their ALI classes.

ALI tuition units are charged at the regular university rate. Current rates are listed for each semester in the USC Schedule of Classes. Incoming students who need to take English language classes should be aware that the ALI course requirements may add to the overall length and cost of their degree program. Undergraduates may earn up to 12 units of credit toward their degree for ALI courses numbered 100 and above. Some departmental restrictions may apply. Graduate students will not be able to count ALI coursework as credit toward their degree. ALI classes can normally be taken concurrently with a student’s other university classes and must be completed at the earliest opportunity.

Students with disabilities should contact the USC Office of Student Accessibility Services for accommodation requests.

Students who meet the following conditions may not be required to take the ISE Exam:

1. Having valid test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, C1 Advanced)
   • Please note: Some individual programs may set internal score minimums higher than those listed here. Please refer to your intended graduate program(s) for information about their English-language proficiency test requirements.
2. Test Exemptions:
   • You hold a degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate) from USC or are currently enrolled in a USC degree program.
   • Bachelor’s degree completed in English (from qualifying institution, must be completed by application date)
   • Master’s degree completed in English (from qualifying institution, must be completed by application date)
   • Native English Speaker

USC accepts the TOEFL iBT Home Edition, iBT Paper Edition and the standard in-person TOEFL iBT administered in official test centers. Admitted students are exempt from taking the ISE Exam with the following scores:

Sending official scores to USC: USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. Photocopies or paper copies of scores are not acceptable.

USC’s institution code is 4852. No department code is required.

USC accepts IELTS Academic and IELTS Indicator (online version) scores. Admitted students are exempt from taking the ISE Exam with the following scores:

Sending official scores to USC: USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. Photocopies or paper copies of scores from the testing service are not acceptable.

Select “University of Southern California” from the list of available institutions when you register to take the IELTS test. Alternatively, provide this information to your testing center after you have taken the test. Contact information for the USC department to which you are applying is not required.

USC accepts the Cambridge English C1 Advanced Qualification. Admitted students are exempt from taking the ISE Exam with the following scores:

Sending official scores to USC: USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. Photocopies or paper copies of scores from the testing service are not acceptable.

Select “University of Southern California” from the list of available institutions when you register to take the C1 Advanced Exam. Alternatively, provide this information to your testing center after you have taken the test. Contact information for the USC department to which you are applying is not required.

USC accepts PTE Academic and PTE Academic Online scores. Admitted students are exempt from taking the ISE Exam with the following scores:

Sending official scores to USC: USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. Photocopies or paper copies of scores from the testing service are not acceptable.

Select “University of Southern California” from the list of available institutions when you register to take the PTE Academic test. Alternatively, provide this information to your testing center after you have taken the test. Contact information for the USC department to which you are applying is not required.

For students admitted for summer 2024 and later terms only

English proficiency scores must be dated within two years of the date you submit your application. For example, a prospective student applying to begin in the fall 2024 semester who submits their USC application in December 2023 must have taken the test no earlier than December 2021.

Scores will only be considered from a single test. USC does not accept “superscores” such as TOEFL “MyBest Scores” or IELTS “One Skill Retake”.

USC must receive scores electronically from the testing service for them to be considered official. Photocopies or paper copies of scores from the testing service are not acceptable. Official scores must be received no later than the Friday before classes begin on your first term of study and will not be accepted once your program begins. Students should contact the American Language Institute (ALI) Office before the deadline to confirm that their scores have been received.

International applicants are exempt from submitting English proficiency scores under the following circumstances:

1. You hold a degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate) from USC or are currently enrolled in a USC degree program.
2. You hold a bachelor’s degree completed in its entirety in the United States or U.S. bachelor’s-equivalent in a qualifying Anglophone country (as defined below). To determine degree equivalency, please refer to our country requirements.
   • The bachelor’s degree should be earned at a regionally accredited university located in the United States or at an officially recognized university in another country where English is both the language of instruction and the only official language.
   • The entire program must have been completed in the qualifying country. Dual-degree holders who completed only part of their degree in the U.S. or another qualifying country and students who have transferred credits from a non-Anglophone country do not qualify for this waiver.
3. You have completed a master’s or doctoral degree from a country in which English is both the language of instruction and the only official language. (**New Policy effective summer 2024 for new admits)
   • The degree must have already been completed at the time you submit your USC application. Applicants who have not yet completed a qualifying master’s or doctoral program at the time of submission will still need to submit English proficiency scores.
4. Your native language is English.
   • This applies to native English speakers from countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada (except Quebec), where English is both the only official language of the country and the language of instruction.
   • USC does not exempt the English-proficiency requirement based on any other consideration such as work experience, ESL enrollment or amount of time spent in the U.S. It also cannot be exempted on the basis of programs taught in English in non-Anglophone countries.

To determine if USC requires TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/C1 Advanced scores for your country of study, please check here.