Admission

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Personal Information

• Enter your name as it appears on your government issued I.D. Indicate any alternate or previous names in the “other name” field (i.e. maiden name). Indicating prior names is important because it will help USC connect transcripts in former names to your application.
• Enter the email address USC Rossier should use to communicate with you throughout the application process.
• Indicate your citizenship status.*

*Please note that the USC application does not include a citizenship option for undocumented students. If you are an undocumented student, please select the citizenship option “international student.” If you wish to disclose your citizenship status, contact the admissions team at rsoephd@rossier.usc.edu prior to submitting your application so that we can withdraw you from receiving communications intended for international students.

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Academic History > Colleges Attended > Add a College > Upload a Transcript

Official transcripts from all institutions attended should be scanned and uploaded to our application portal. Below are the steps on how to do that. Please do not mail or send electronic transcripts to USC at this point. If admitted we will ask for official transcripts to be sent directly from prior institutions to USC and will share specific instructions on how to do so.

Step 1: Request official transcripts from all institutions you attended and have them sent directly to you

Request one official transcript from each college or university you attended, even if you did not earn a credit or degree from each institution, and have them sent to your personal mailing or email address, not to USC directly. Printouts from portals are not acceptable.Even if your final transcript includes a list of classes taken at other colleges and universities, you are still required to send the transcripts from each college and university.

If you participated in a study abroad opportunity operated by your institutions during your time receiving a degree from that institution and that coursework appears on the institution’s transcript, then you do not need to submit a separate transcript from the international institution you attended. However, if any of these do not apply (e.g., you participated in an external study abroad; a study abroad outside of your time attending an institution; or the courses do not appear on the transcript of your home institution), you must submit separate transcripts. If you have any questions, feel free to contact rsoephd@rossier.usc.edu for help.

USC degree holders and current USC students do not need to submit transcripts, assuming that transcripts from all other institutions attended (aside from USC) have already been sent to USC previously. If you attended any institutions since last being admitted to USC, any updated transcript information from other institutions must be sent (e.g., if you received a master’s degree from an institution after attending USC, you would need to send that transcript).

Step 2: Upload copies of official transcripts into the application

When you receive each transcript, log in to the USC application ‘Academic History’ section and add information about your academic history at each college or university. After saving this information, you will see an option to ‘upload a transcript’ for each college. Only one PDF per college or university can be uploaded. If the transcript from a college or university contains multiple pages and/or multiple degrees, you will need to scan each page and combine the pages into a single PDF. If you don’t have access to a scanner or a mobile scanner app, you can take a legible photo of each page and combine the images into one PDF

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Supporting Information > Documents > CV/Resume

Your CV or resume (either are acceptable) should highlight your experiences (paid, volunteer, and otherwise) and research background (e.g., publications, presentations, etc…) to help the faculty understand how your experiences and background shape your interest in the program and inform how you would perform in the PhD.

Once you upload your resume or CV, you do not need to duplicate efforts and add to the experiences, achievements, conferences attended and memberships sections of the standard USC Rossier application.

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Program Materials > Documents
Please label the first page of your Personal Statement with a header that states Personal Statement.

Your Personal Statement (no longer than 2 single spaced pages in Times New Roman12 point font) should address the following four areas:

• Your interest in the PhD program as it relates to your personal and professional goals.
• Your commitment and anticipated academic and professional contributions to USC Rossier’s mission to “achieve educational equity through practice, research and policy”.
• Your personal history of academic and professional development. Please comment on: What competencies have you developed that will contribute to your academic and professional success? What is your approach to managing long-term goals? How have you contributed to a supportive, collaborative intellectual community?
• Your research interests and how your goals align with the expertise of up to three of our PhD program tenured or tenure-track faculty with whom you would like to work.

Select the “Add Document” button under “Personal Statement”

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Program Materials > Documents

Please label the first page of your Writing Sample with a header that states Writing Sample.

Please submit a writing sample demonstrating your writing skills and thinking. Specifically, faculty reviewers are looking to assess writing competency and demonstration of one’s ability to construct an argument. Papers written in an academic style and that you completed for course work, professional purposes, or presentation/publication are all good options for the writing sample. Applicants can submit a writing sample of any length but they will be asked to direct faculty reviewers to the 5-10 pages faculty reviewers should read. For papers written for a prior purpose, you do not need to reformat the spacing or font size.

If you do not already have a writing sample, please write one on a topic of scholarly interest to you that is at least five pages (Times New Roman 12 point font, double spaced) and follows the above guidelines. Use outside sources and cite references where applicable in a recognized publication style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago)

On the application, we will ask you to answer the following questions about your writing sample:

• Which 5-10 pages should faculty reviewers read if your document is longer than 10 pages?
• For what purpose was this manuscript developed?
• Is it single or co-authored? If the former, how much feedback, editorial support, and/or coaching did you receive?

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Program Materials > Recommendations > Add Recommendation

The USC Rossier PhD Program requires three letters of recommendation. Recommenders ideally should have a PhD (not required) and be able to speak to your potential and ability to do research. If you feel that submitting a fourth letter of recommendation will strengthen your application, you are welcome to do so. However, we only request three letters of recommendation. If you only have two recommenders, your application will still be given full consideration, but three recommenders are preferred.

• To submit the names of your recommenders, go to the “Program Materials” section of the application and click on the tab “Recommendations”
• Click the button “Add Recommendation” to enter the name and email address of each recommender you’d like to ask to electronically submit a letter of recommendation. Each recommender will automatically receive an email from uscsupport@liaisonedu.com that includes a password and directions for submitting the letter of recommendation. If the recommender does not receive the recommendation letter request, advise them to check their spam or junk mail folders.
• The application will ask you to include a submit by date, and we recommend putting December 3 as that will also act as the cutoff date by which they can submit.
• It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure all recommendation letters are submitted before the appropriate deadline.

Please note: recommendation letters are program-specific and cannot be used to apply to additional programs. If you withdraw your application from a particular program, your letters of recommendation will be deleted along with the application.

Where to find it on the application: Submit Application Tab

The application fee is $90. Eligibility for fee waivers and how to apply for a fee waiver can be found at the Graduate Admissions website. Fees must be paid via debit or credit card.

Applicants can apply for a fee waiver as soon as they have started their online application. At certain times, the turn-around can take up to two weeks, so applicants should plan for this based upon the December 1 deadline. Do not submit your application before getting your fee waiver approved because USC will not refund the application fee once an application has been submitted.

Applicants who believe they qualify for a fee waiver should complete the following steps:

• Start your online application before applying for a fee waiver and be sure to select the program to which they are planning to apply.
• To apply for a fee waiver at this link and then in the Select an Area box, choose “Graduate Admission” and then click “Graduate Admission” again and select Rossier School of Education. Then under “Category”, choose “Application Fees and Fee Waivers”. Then click “Application Fees and Fee Waivers” again and select the type of fee waiver for which you are applying. Please attach the appropriate documentation for the type of fee waiver. You must use the same email address as your application and must also include the name of the program to which you are applying (PhD in Education Program). Failure to do so could delay your request considerably.
• Applicants will receive an email notification if and when their fee waiver is approved. Applicants must wait to receive this confirmation in order to skip the payment page when they submit your application. No refunds will be issued post-submission.

English Language Proficiency Requirements
Where to find it on the application: My Application > Academic History > Standardized Tests > Add a Test Score

Important: Please review the USC Graduate Admission English Proficiency website linked here. The following is a summary of their requirements, which our program follows.

Note: USC does not set university-wide score minimums for graduate admission. The scores listed below are typically used for placement purposes only—to determine if an admitted student will need to take the International Student English (ISE) examination upon arrival at USC.

English-proficiency scores must be dated within 2 years (24 months) of the date you submit your graduate application. For example, a prospective student applying to fall 2025 who submits their USC application in December 2024 will need to have taken the test no earlier than December 2022.

You may upload your test score report in the “Academic History” section of the application to be used in application review. However, only scores received electronically from the testing service are considered official. Official test scores should be sent from the testing agency directly to USC.

• TOEFL: To send official scores, use USC ETS code 4852
• IELTS: Select “University of Southern California” at the time of registration. Alternatively, provide this information to your testing center after taking the test.
• No department code is required to send TOEFL or IELTS scores

International applicants are exempt from submitting English-proficiency scores under the following circumstances:

1. You hold a degree (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate) from USC or are currently enrolled in a USC degree program.
2. You hold a bachelor’s degree completed in its entirety in the United States or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree in a qualifying Anglophone country (as defined below). To determine degree equivalency, please refer to our country requirements.The bachelor’s degree should be earned at a regionally accredited university located in the United States, or at an officially recognized university in another country where English is both the language of instruction and the only officially recognized language of the country. The entire program needs to have been completed in the qualifying country. Dual-degree holders who completed just part of their degree in the U.S. or other qualifying country, and students who have transferred credits from a non-Anglophone country, do not qualify for this waiver.
3. You have completed a master’s or doctoral degree from a country in which English is both the language of instruction and the only official language. The degree needs to have already been completed at the time you submit your USC application. Applicants who have not yet completed a qualifying master’s or doctoral program at the time they apply will still need to submit English-proficiency scores.
4. Your native language is English. This applies to native English speakers from countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada (except Quebec), where English is both the only official language of the country and the language of instruction.

USC does not waive the English-proficiency requirement based on any other consideration such as work experience, ESL enrollment, amount of time spent in the U.S., etc. It also cannot be waived on the basis of programs taught in English in non-Anglophone countries.

To determine if USC requires TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores for your country of study, please check our Country Requirements page.

Transcripts: Candidates from all countries are encouraged to apply to USC. Please select your country of study to determine the academic records that USC requires you to submit to be considered for admission.

Please note that all translations must be issued by the institution of study or by a professional translation service to be considered official. USC does not accept credential evaluation reports in lieu of official academic records issued by your institution of study.

More information is available on the USC Graduate Admission International Students Country requirements page.

Financial Documents, Letter of Sponsorship and Passport Copy Where to find it on the application: My Application > Supporting Information > Documents

For international students, financial documents/verification of funds, a letter of sponsorship and a copy of a passport may be uploaded into the application. However, these documents are not required until admission to the program. Moreover, because the PhD Program is “funded,” international students do not need to upload financial documents or verification of funds. Please note that this is different for other USC Rossier programs.