USC undergraduate admissions letters went into the mail today to anxious applicants from around the world and the nation. Only 21 percent of applicants will receive an offer to join the entering class for next fall.

USC received 35,809 applications for 2,600 places in the freshman class, representing an increase of 2,056 applications over the previous year. With this applicant pool, USC’s admission selectivity has increased; 21.0 percent were accepted this year, compared to 24.8 percent in 2007.

USC’s applicant pool represents a highly competitive and highly diverse group of students, with very broad geographic representation. Applications this year from New York, Northern New Jersey and Long Island were up 11 percent, and those from the Washington, D.C. area were up 18 percent. At 2108, the mean composite SAT score of all admitted applicants is 18 points higher than 2007.

In addition, USC continues to make great strides in providing access to talented students from all backgrounds: About 20 percent of this year’s admitted applicants are under-represented minority students, and more than 10 percent of admitted students are first-generation college goers. Recruited athletes make up 1.5 percent of admitted students.

Overall, 53 percent of admitted students are from California, with 7 percent international students and the remainder of the admitted class coming from the other 49 states and U.S. territories.

“With this group of admitted students, USC has not only taken its place among the highest in academic rank, it has solidified its position as the nation’s most diverse, top-rated private university,” said USC Vice Provost for Enrollment Policy and Management Jerome A. Lucido. “These are extraordinarily talented and interesting young women and men to teach – and for each other to have as classmates and roommates.”

USC enrolls more under-represented minority students (African American, Hispanic and Native American) than most other private research universities in the country (3,190 as of fall 2007). Moreover, USC enrolls 17.7 percent low-income students (defined as Pell Grant eligible). Most importantly, low-income students at USC graduate at rates comparable to the overall undergraduate population.

USC’s Financial Aid Pledge

USC offers admission without regard to ability to pay, and the university meets 100 percent of the demonstrated need of on-time financial aid applicants. Almost 60 percent of USC’s undergraduate students receive some form of university aid. This represents more than 9,000 students – more than the total undergraduate population of most highly selective private research universities.

USC has the largest university-funded financial aid budget of any university in the country, providing more than $180 million each year of university funds to undergraduates.

The top 15 domestic locations of admitted students for fall 2008 include Los Angeles/Riverside/Orange County, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, San Diego, Greater Chicago, New York/Northern New Jersey/Long Island, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Seattle/Tacoma/Bremerton, Houston/Galveston/Brazoria, Washington/Baltimore, Greater Hawaii, Boston/Worcester/Lawrence, California Central Coast, Phoenix/Mesa, Philadelphia/Wilmington/Atlantic City and Portland/Salem.