Freshman scholarship decisions are out!

Details:

This year nearly 32,000 high school seniors applied for admission in time to be considered for merit scholarships. USC Admissions is notifying this population of the status of the scholarship competition, as well as some additional points about remaining admission processes.

The bad news: On Wednesday night USC Admissions will send approximately 30,000 e-mails notifying students their application will not move forward in the scholarship competition.

The good news: 1,480 students will receive good news:  an offer of admission, and opportunities for scholarships. We send admission packets via priority mail, and we send follow-up e-mails shortly thereafter.

Students who applied after the December 1 scholarship deadline are not notified of any status at this time.  Other than routine requests for additional information, we do not plan additional updates to first-year applicants until late March.

Communication challenges:

This notification raises the level of contact from applicants and their families. Students and parents are often sad or disappointed, and conversations can be difficult. Expect calls volumes to rise soon, and be prepared to route them appropriately, as noted below.

Some common themes:

Is any space left? Though we have only issued approximately 15% of our admission offers, some seem to believe that spaces are going fast. It is appropriate to assure students we are still considering all candidates for admission, that no student has been denied admission, and thousands more admission offers will be sent in late March.  We have much work to do.

No scholarship?  Others may be confused about our decision to award no scholarship, or to award one worth less than they expected. Assure these students that the process is highly competitive, and based on both quantitative and qualitative factors. These can be difficult conversations, which we are happy to handle.

Routing to Admission

If you need to route a caller to the Offices of Admission or Financial Aid, there are several options:

• The Student-Services Contact Center is a general service center for admission and financial aid.  This office can be reached at 213-740-1111, or via e-mail at www.usc.edu/contactadmission.

• Students may contact their admission counselor at www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate (click “admission counselors” in the lower right).

• For sensitive or particularly difficult calls, feel free to refer calls to my office, at 213-740-6753 and we will route appropriately.

Please see Fern if you have any questions and route difficult conversations to the officer of the week or an admissions officer.