Incoming Students
On behalf of the Marshall School of Business, welcome to the University of Southern California and the Trojan family! We know that you have your choice to study at a wide variety of institutions around the world and are delighted to have you consider USC.
Of the more than 3,500 colleges and universities in North America, only 58 hold membership in the AAU, the Association of American Universities. 28 AAU members are private research universities and just 3 of these are in the Western United States, all in California. Only one (USC) has an undergraduate business school that is located in the heart of Los Angeles, the international business center world-famous for its innovation and growth, and a gateway to the Pacific Rim and Latin America.
Students at Marshall learn to think analytically and creatively as they develop the skills for success. They apply what they learn in an unparalleled real-time laboratory-Los Angeles- where entrepreneurial spririt and innovation merge at the gateway to the Pacific Rim and where most of the world's leading trends are born. Los Angeles is a world-class business city, located on the Eastern edge of the Pacific Rim, and is one of the major financial markets in this region. The Port of Long Beach is the third busiest port in the world, with annual imports of $60 billion+ each year. It is an environment that is conducive to any students interested in the world economic and business environment.
Marshall is ranked in the top 10 Undergraduate (BBA) Business Schools in the US. Our Undergraduate Entrepreneurial program and our Accounting Schools are amongst the best schools (ranked #2 or higher) in the US. Our Management and Finance programs are ranked in the top 10, and our International Business program was recently ranked 8th in the WORLD. Fully 18% of the University's student body (USC has the largest international student population of any university in the US) and 21% of the Marshall Student body are international students who represent 113 different countries. As a Marshall student, you become part of one of the world’s most diverse, esteemed, and successful undergraduate Business programs.
How To Apply
To study at USC Marshall as an Exchange Student you must be formally nominated by the international exchange or study abroad coordinator at one of our partner institutions. (Click here for a list of our partner schools).
Once you have been officially nominated to the program, you will be sent an email with details on how to access our online application procedures. Once you have completed the online portion of the application, please mail the following supporting documents to the address listed below.
Required Supporting Documents:
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CV/Resume
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1 Passport Photo
Send Materials To:
Marshall IEP Program
701 Exposition, HOH 200
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1421
Deadlines:
March 1 For Fall semester exchange (August - December)
September 15 For Spring Semester exchange (January - May)
The on-line application and your CV and transcripts will enable Marshall to begin the process of preparing your visa paperwork and create a student account for you so that you can register for classes and apply for housing. This process to create your USC ID number takes approximately three weeks. With your ID number, you will then be able to apply for housing (see the housing link below). We will e-mail you your number, as well as instructions on what to do next.
Once you have been admitted to the program and the schedule of classes for the semester of your study is available on line, you will be emailed a registration request form. You will be asked to select the courses you wish to complete, as well as alternates for each course.
Exchange students are required to complete a minimum of 12 USC units (normally 3 courses) each semester. Students are eligible to take courses from any undergraduate department at USC. However, each department has restrictions on who may or may not enroll in their courses (including pre-requisites) as well as limits on exchange students and non-majors. In addition, exchange students are required to take the majority of their courses within the Business school (exceptions can be requested through your program coordinator).
Within one to two months of the completion of your application, admitted students will receive an admission packet, including a formal letter of admission and visa documentation. The completed paperwork will be mailed to you in care of your home program coordinator. When the packet arrives, you will need to take the documentation to the US Consulate to apply for a J-1 Visa (student visa). Usually, it takes 2-3 weeks for the visa process to conclude.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Marshall School of Business, USC, and Los Angeles!