Undergraduate Applicants:

SAT/ACT

Please click here for requirements.

AP exam results

Freshman applicants who have taken Advanced Placement (AP) examinations are encouraged to provide those results with their USC Undergraduate application.

TOEFL Scores for Undergraduate applicants

All international applicants (first-year and transfer) whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL. International first-year applicants with minimum scores of 600 on SAT Critical Reading or 27 on ACT English are exempt from taking the TOEFL. The TOEFL must have been taken within the past two years from application date.

Graduate Applicants:

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Applicants for the following degrees are required to submit scores from the general test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE):

Notes:

MM applicants in all areas other than Music Education are NOT required to submit GRE scores.

The music subject test is not required.

Scores from both the old and revised versions of the GRE will be accepted provided that the scores are less than 5 years old and can be reported by ETS.

MINIMUM SCORE REQUIRMENTS

Revised GRE:

Minimum combined score (verbal + quantitative) = 297
Minimum Verbal score = 143

"Old GRE":

Minimum combined score (verbal + quantitative) = 1000
Minimum Verbal score = 350

Applicants must carefully note that the application deadline for all required application materials does apply to GRE scores. Scores must be received by the appropriate deadline in order to be given full consideration for admission.

Admission to the USC Thornton School of Music is determined as a result of a comprehensive file review process involving a number of review criteria. A score from the GRE which meets the minimum scores described above shall not be construed as a guarantee of admission to any Thornton School program. However, scores not meeting this minimum may still be considered with an otherwise stellar application.

USC’s ETS school code is 4852.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

In addition to all other application and audition requirements, all applicants to the MA, MM, DMA or PhD programs at the Thornton School whose first language is not English must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), regardless of immigration status or educational background. Scores from tests taken more than two years before the date of a student’s application to the USC Thornton School of Music will not be considered valid for admission review purposes and a more recent score will be required. Official score reports should be submitted directly to the USC admission office by ETS.

Applicants must carefully note that the application deadline for all required application materials does apply to TOEFL scores. Scores must be received by the appropriate deadline in order to be given full consideration for admission.

Minimum TOEFL scores required for admission are as follows:

• MM, MA – iBT total score of 83 (with no less than 20 on any one section of the test)
• DMA, PHD – iBT total score of 100 (with no less than 20 on any one section of the test)

Admission to the USC Thornton School of Music is determined as a result of a comprehensive file review process involving a number of review criteria. A score from the TOEFL which meets the minimum scores described above shall not be construed as a guarantee of admission to any Thornton School program. However, scores not meeting this minimum may still be considered with an otherwise stellar application.

USC's TOEFL school code is 4852.

English Language Proficiency

Admitted international students whose primary language is not English are required to take the International Student English Examination (ISE), administered by the USC Testing Bureau at the beginning of their first term of study. The results on the examination determine whether or not students must take special courses in English at USC. International students who have a score of 100 on the iBT (with no less than 20 on each individual section of the test) taken within the past 2 years will be exempt from the ISE test, and will not be placed in special English courses. Therefore, even though the minimum TOEFL score for MM admission is 83, we strongly encourage all international applicants to strive to attain a score of 100 on the iBT before enrolling at USC Thornton.

Further details about USC’s English Language requirement can be found here: http://dornsife.usc.edu/ali/english-language-requirement/