No. USC is test-optional for Fall 2026. You will not be disadvantaged if you skip SAT and ACT. If you want scores considered, send official reports.
No. First-year students may apply to USC without SAT or ACT scores. USC's test-optional FAQ carries no entry year, and the cycle open now is fall 2027 entry, with an Early Action deadline of November 1, 2026. Applicants will not be penalized or put at a disadvantage if they choose not to submit. If you want scores considered, USC requires official reports from the testing agency, not a self-report for the review file.
Submitter context: SAT ACT score for USC. Policy: USC test-optional FAQ.
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When you apply you indicate whether you plan to submit scores. Finish any test at least one month before your application date if you want it in the file. Merit scholarships are also holistic and are not GPA or score formulas. Apply by November 1 Early Action/Early Decision for scholarship consideration, or by December 1 for Dance, Dramatic Arts, or Music. Home-schooled applicants are also test-optional, though USC likes some externally graded work (SAT/ACT, AP, college courses). International applicants are not required to send SAT/ACT, but non-native English speakers still show proficiency. Codes: SAT 4852, ACT 0470.
If you opt in, send the agency file. The FAQ says official scores are required for consideration, sent directly from the testing agency. If you opt out, do not leave the Common App toggle on 'will submit' or the portal will wait forever.
The next SAT dates after this update are October 3, 2026, November 7, 2026, and December 5, 2026. The next ACT dates are September 19, 2026 (registration closed), October 17, 2026, and December 12, 2026. Register on the official site, not through a prep company. If this school is required, a test date you cannot enter is not a plan. If this school is optional, sit only if you will use the score somewhere.
The bank is 25,000+ questions on iPhone, Android, and the web with the same account. Free accounts get three quizzes a day, five questions by default. Ace at $19/month removes both daily caps. Official full-length practice stays in Bluebook. Daily practice is start a free practice set.
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The score page is the band for people who sent numbers. This page is: you may skip, and if you do not skip, USC wants official scores.
A required school does not grade your homework. An optional school does not forbid a test date. A test-free campus will not read the SAT in admissions even if the PDF is in the portal. The work is still five questions a day if any campus on the list will use a number. The bank is 25,000+ questions on iPhone, Android, and the web with the same account. Free accounts get three quizzes a day, five questions by default. Ace at $19/month removes both daily caps. Official full-length practice stays in Bluebook. Khan Academy Official SAT Prep is the lesson when a named miss needs a teacher. Larry Learns is the dose. The next SAT dates after this update are October 3, 2026, November 7, 2026, and December 5, 2026. The next ACT dates are September 19, 2026 (registration closed), October 17, 2026, and December 12, 2026. Registration is on College Board or ACT, not inside a quiz app. October 3 regular registration closes September 18. Late registration for that date stays open through September 22. If you still need October 3 for Early Action or Early Decision, use the late window. After September 22, November 7 is the live target (regular deadline October 23). December 5 remains if you need two months.
USC's operational rules, in order. Test-optional, and USC states applicants are not penalized or put at a disadvantage for withholding scores. If you do want scores considered they must be official, sent directly from the testing agency, and USC asks for them at least one month before your application date, which is earlier than most schools. SAT code 4852, ACT code 0470. USC also states it has never awarded merit aid using score formulas or cut-offs, so an optional submission is not a scholarship lever.
The USC-specific miss is self-reporting a screenshot and assuming that is the review file. USC's FAQ says official test scores are required if you want testing considered. The second miss is leaving the Common App toggle on 'will submit' after you decide to skip. The portal will wait for a report that is not coming. Flip the toggle. The third miss is skipping November 1 because you think test-optional also delays merit. USC says merit is holistic and not a score cutoff, and the scholarship clock is still November 1 (or December 1 for Dance, Dramatic Arts, or Music). Home-schooled applicants are test-optional too, but USC likes some externally graded work. International applicants are not required to send SAT/ACT; non-native English speakers still show proficiency. Codes 4852 and 0470.
No. USC is test-optional and states applicants are not penalized for withholding scores. Its FAQ is undated, so confirm on USC's page in the week you submit.
USC's FAQ says official test scores are required if you want testing considered.
USC says merit selection is holistic and has never used score cutoffs. Apply by the scholarship deadline.
No, but USC recommends some externally graded evidence.
Yes if another college requires it, or if you want USC to consider an official score.
USC will not force the test date. Required schools will. start a free practice set if you still need a number.
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