Exceptional Funding
Merit scholarships (Presidential Scholarship and Trustee Scholarship) cover full-time enrollment in 12-18 units for the Fall and Spring semesters. Exceptional Funding can be used to fund courses that cause enrollment in more than 18 units during the fall or spring semester AND/OR enrollment in up to 8 units during the summer. Exceptional Funding can be used to afford additional academic courses within the 8 semesters (10 for Architecture) of scholarship eligibility. These units are not available beyond the final scholarship semester.
Courses cannot be audited. All courses must be taken for a letter grade or pass/no pass
Eligibility
- USC Presidential or Trustee Scholarship recipient enrolled at USC before Fall 2025.
- USC Presidential or Trustee Scholarship recipient (does not apply to Dean’s, Leadership, or other scholarship recipients)
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Completed at least 15 units per Fall and Spring semesters or 30 units for the prior academic year (Fall + Spring), consistent with University merit scholarship policy
- Completed at least one semester at USC
- Be within the 8 semesters (10 for Architecture) of scholarship eligibility
Students should apply for Exceptional Funding once they have enrolled in over 18 units for Fall or Spring.
Students who are unable to fully complete their registration until the start of fall semester should wait to submit a request by the Final Deadline. Students may apply at any time before the final deadline at no disadvantage.
Apply below.
Award Details
Exceptional Funding can be used to fund courses that cause enrollment in more than 18 units during the fall or spring semester AND/OR enrollment in up to 8 units during the summer.
Courses cannot be audited. All courses must be taken for a letter grade or pass/no pass. Examples of how to utilize Exceptional Funding:
- Courses that contribute to degree progress or completion of more than one academic program.
- Summer study abroad where USC tuition is charged and USC credit is earned.
- Maymesters (spring) or summer classes at USC including Problems Without Passports.
- Progressive Degree Program (PDP) courses. Exceptional Funding is applied at the standard undergraduate per-unit rate. Exceptional Funding for a PDP student may not exceed the undergraduate tuition rate, even if the student enrolls in a graduate course with a higher per-unit tuition rate. Tuition and fees are published in the Schedule of Classes.
If approved for Exceptional Funding, all course decisions should be made by the Week 3 add/drop deadline. Tuition applied to extra units is non-refundable after this point.
Contact Information
For any questions related to exceptional funding, please contact Dr. David Glasgow ([email protected]) for support.