Academic Achievement Award

The Academic Achievement Award (AAA) provides a tuition benefit for students who enrolled at USC before Fall 2025 and are pursuing multiple undergraduate degree objectives. To qualify, students must have completed at least 24 units at USC (or 12 units for transfer students) and have a minimum cumulative USC GPA of 3.750. The award allows students to register for up to 21 units during the fall and spring semesters at the standard full-time tuition rate.

The purpose of the award is to allow highly motivated students with excellent academic records to complete multiple undergraduate degree objectives without adding to their time-to-degree.

Dates & Deadlines

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the Academic Achievement Award, students must:

Be an undergraduate student enrolled at USC prior to Fall 2025
- Only students enrolled at USC prior to Fall 2025 are eligible to apply. Students whose first semester at USC was Fall 2025 or later are not eligible; we recommend they connect with their academic advisor to discuss their course plan.
- Applicants enrolling in graduate-level coursework must include verification that the course can be applied to undergraduate degree requirements and must retain undergraduate status.
Have officially declared a double major, a double degree, or a major-minor combination
- Multiple undergraduate degree objectives must be officially declared on STARS report at time of application.
- Progressive degrees and graduate programs are not eligible for funding.
Have earned a cumulative USC GPA of at least 3.750
- Eligibility is based on cumulative GPA at the time of application.
- No eligibility exceptions are made for applicants below the 3.750 cumulative USC GPA minimum. USC GPA is calculated to the third decimal place and never rounded up or down.
Have earned at least 24 units at USC (12 units for transfers), at the time of application
- Eligibility is based on unit count at the time of application.
- Units earned through AP or IB credit do NOT count towards the unit total. Only units earned through USC coursework is considered.
Demonstrate that the additional tuition units will contribute to the completion of multiple undergraduate degree objectives
- All enrolled courses must fulfill specified major, minor, or general degree requirements like WRIT, GE’s and Foreign Language requirements. See “Coursework Eligibility & Exceptions” for a list of general exceptions.
- Students must meet with their academic advisor before applying to confirm that pursuing multiple degree objectives is feasible and that their proposed coursework aligns with degree requirements. We will refer to the most recent course plan developed by their academic advisor in the AdviseUSC system when reviewing the application.
- Ensure STARS report reflects that all courses are satisfying specific degree requirements.
- Students must be officially enrolled in all proposed courses at time of application. If enrollment requires special clearance, students can provide faculty or advisor documentation indicating their acceptance into the course.
- Courses must be taken for Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass. Courses cannot be audited.

Award Details

UPDATES! Application Process & Award Timeline

Application Periods

AAA funding is available for the Fall and Spring semesters only. There is no limit to how many times you can receive the award. However, you must reapply each semester that you enroll in more than 18 units to confirm your continued eligibility.

When To Apply

Apply only after you have finalized your schedule and are officially enrolled in more than 18 units, ensuring your account reflects the additional tuition charges.

Exception:
If you are waiting for D-clearance, you may submit your application before being fully enrolled as long as you are enrolled in all your other courses. Keep in mind that if you are approved, your award will not post until you are fully enrolled in all additional units.

Application Timeline

[Spring 2026 Application Opens] Monday, December 1

[Deadline] Friday, January 16

Beginning Spring 2026, we will move to a single application deadline each semester.

With this change, we encourage students applying for AAA funding to finalize their schedules by Week 1 of the semester. Although you may continue to adjust your schedule in WebReg until the Week 3 Add/Drop deadline, students planning to take a higher course load should have their schedules set by Week 1 if they wish to apply for funding.

Final award notifications will be sent before the Add/Drop deadline, giving students who are not approved the opportunity to drop extra units and avoid additional tuition charges.

Application reviews will begin after the deadline, and we are unable to accommodate requests for early review.

[Final notification of award status] Friday, January 23*

*Notification dates subject to change

Award Posting Timeline

With the new single-deadline process, all awards will post after the university billing deadline.

While waiting for an award decision, students have two options:

Pay the additional tuition upfront.
If approved, the award will post as a reimbursement to your account.
Pay all other tuition and fees EXCEPT for the additional tuition by the billing deadline.
You will remain eligible for a late fee waiver as long as all other tuition and fees are paid on time.

UPDATES! Coursework Eligibility & Exceptions

Coursework Review

Students who apply by the deadline and meet all eligibility requirements are generally approved for funding. This is not a competitive process.

Audited coursework is not eligible for AAA funding. All courses must be taken for Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass.

To qualify, all courses must fulfill major, minor, or general degree requirements such as WRIT, GE’s, and foreign language.

The only exceptions are courses that qualify under the Approved Coursework Exceptions listed below. In addition, eligible students who are within two semesters of graduation and have completed all other degree requirements may receive funding for elective courses or other classes that do not fulfill specific degree requirements.

To confirm that your coursework meets these requirements, check your STARS report after you have enrolled in all coursework and ensure that all proposed courses appear under one of the following sections:

General Education (GE) or Thematic Option
Foreign Language
Writing
Major
Minor

Important:
Courses that only count toward the Dornsife unit requirement or general degree unit requirement will be approved only if you are within two semesters of graduation.

If your proposed course does not satisfy a major, minor, GE, or writing requirement and you are not within two semesters of graduation, your request will be denied.

Requesting New Course Exceptions

If a course does not currently appear under one of the eligible STARS report sections but your academic advisor has confirmed that it fulfills one of these requirements, please do one of the following:

Ask your advisor to update your STARS report to reflect the change, or
Upload email verification from your advisor as part of your AAA application.

If you are requesting an exception, mark the course as “Other” in your application and include a brief explanation in the comments section describing why it qualifies as an allowable exception.

If you have questions about particular courses, please contact Academic Honors and Fellowships at ahfstaff@usc.edu.

To ensure a timely response, please reach out at least one week prior to the final deadline.

Approved Coursework Exceptions

Certain courses do not count toward degree requirements but are approved for AAA usage because they fulfill prerequisites or offer specific academic benefits.

To qualify for exceptions, students must first meet all stated eligibility criteria.

General exceptions include the following:

490x Directed Research
Foreign Language
Honors Colloquiums
Maymesters and Julymesters
Physical Education (only approved for students within 2 semesters of graduation)
Practicums / Internship-Credit Courses
Pre-Med / Pre-Health requirements
Viterbi Specializations
Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Technical Electives

UPDATES! Schedule Changes & Withdrawal Policy

Submitting Course Changes

Applications will be open from December through the end of Week 1 of the Spring semester.

If you make any changes to your schedule after submitting your initial application, you must submit a new application using the “UPDATE COURSE LIST” option within the form. All changes must be submitted before the application deadline.

After the deadline, the review process will begin and notifications will be sent out. Once you are approved for funding, you will no longer be able to request schedule changes, so we encourage you to finalize your schedule by the end of Week 1 to remain eligible.

Although you may continue to adjust your schedule in WebReg until the Week 3 Add/Drop deadline, students applying for AAA funding are expected to have their schedules finalized by the end of Week 1, in line with the application timeline.

Withdrawal Policy

Dropping Courses Between Weeks 3 – 7 (January 31 – February 27, 2026):

If you withdraw from courses after Week 3 and before Week 7, your award will be reversed. You will then be responsible for paying the tuition costs of the dropped units that exceed the standard full-time range (12-18 units). It is crucial that you talk with AHF staff before dropping any courses within this time frame.

When students withdraw from courses between Week 3 and Week 7, they do not receive a “W” on their transcript. The extra units are charged as an accountability measure to discourage students from sampling courses without academic penalty.

Dropping Courses After Week 7 (February 28 – April 10, 2026):

If you withdraw after Week 7 and choose to take a “W” on your transcript, your award will remain intact, and you will not be charged for the extra units.

If you are unable to cover the cost of additional tuition, this may be the better option.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

I heard there’s been a change to AAA. What does it mean?

Beginning Fall 2025, the Academic Achievement Award will no longer be offered to incoming students. However, this change does not affect continuing students. If you enrolled at USC prior to Fall 2025, you will continue to remain eligible for the AAA as long as you meet the program requirements.

Additionally, beginning Spring 2026, we will move to a single application deadline each semester.

Who remains eligible to apply for the AAA after Fall 2025?

All students who began their studies at USC before Fall 2025 may continue to apply for the AAA during their time at the university, provided they meet eligibility criteria. AAA will continue to be offered until these students graduate.

I am starting at USC in Fall 2025 or later. Am I eligible for the AAA?

No. Students whose first semester of enrollment is Fall 2025 or later are not eligible for the Academic Achievement Award. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Why am I not able to enroll in 21+ units on Web Registration?

Web Registration does not allow enrollment of over 20 units without prior authorization from an academic advisor. Students intending to enroll in 21+ units must contact their major advisor for clearance (even if you have received approval for AAA funding)

How can I confirm my application was received?

You’ll receive an automatic email containing a copy of your application form responses once your application is successfully submitted. If you don’t get this email, your application was not submitted and you’ll need to reapply for consideration.

I submitted an application and received the confirmation email. When can I expect to hear back?

AAA applications will be reviewed after the application deadline. We are unable to accommodate requests for early review. For the exact review start dates, see the “Application Process & Award Timeline” section above.

How do I download my advisor-approved course plan from Advise USC?

We no longer require that students upload a copy of their Course Plan within the application. However, you must have an updated Course Plan ready for review on Advise USC. We will refer to the Course Plans if there are any questions related to your proposed course work. As a reminder, we will only accept Course Plans that were developed and approved by your academic advisor.

Does AAA cover courses for my Progressive Degree Program (PDP)?

No, Progressive Degrees and other graduate programs do not qualify for AAA funding. ALL proposed coursework must apply to your undergraduate degree requirements.

Are courses satisfying the Dornsife unit requirement or overall unit requirement considered an allowable exception?

No. Courses that only satisfy the Dornsife unit requirement or overall unit requirement are considered electives and are not approved for AAA funding unless you are within two semesters of graduation. Students who are not graduating within two semesters should include only courses that fulfill specified degree requirements such as those that count toward a major, minor, general education, writing, or foreign language requirement.

Can I make changes to my coursework after receiving AAA approval? What if I need to increase/decrease the number of units I requested?

No. After receiving approval, students are no longer able to request changes to their course schedule, unless they withdraw from the award all together. Students applying for funding must have their schedules finalized by the end of Week 1 and must submit an updated application with their new coursework before the application deadline to be considered.