The U.S. government requires all international applicants to provide proof of ability to pay tuition and living expenses before a formal letter of admission or the forms needed for obtaining a Visa will be issued.
International students are required to demonstrate that they have $34,000 (MHA, MPA, MPL, MPP, doctoral students), $53,316 (MRED), $50,000 (IPPAM), and $41,000 (undergraduate students) in financial resources to cover tuition and living expenses at USC. These fees are for one year and are very conservative. In most cases, students pay more per year because they take more units and find the living expenses to be higher.
The Office of Admission will issue the I-20 (for F-1 visa) or DS-2019 (for J-1 visa), whichever is appropriate, for the student to enter the United States. Any student entering the United States by means of these documents issued by USC must register for the semester to which admitted to USC. Failure to register disqualifies the student from reapplying for one year from that semester to which admitted and the student’s absence is reported to the Bureau for Homeland Security in accordance with the U.S. government’s SEVIS regulations.
For additional information, go to the Admission of International Students page in the USC Catalogue.