Academic Achievement Award

The Academic Achievement Award (AAA) provides a tuition benefit to students who are pursuing multiple undergraduate degree objectives, have at least 24 units completed at USC (12 units for transfers), and have earned a cumulative USC GPA of at least 3.750. AAA allows for fall and spring registration of up to 21 units 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.

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Eligibility

In order to receive the Academic Achievement Award, students must:

  1. Be an undergraduate student
    • Applicants enrolling in graduate-level coursework must include verification that the course can be applied to undergraduate degree requirements and must retain undergraduate status.
  2. 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 are not eligible for funding.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Demonstrate that the additional tuition units will contribute to the completion of multiple undergraduate degree objectives
    • All enrolled courses must fulfill major, minor, or general degree requirements like WRIT, GE’s and Foreign Language requirements. See “Coursework Exceptions” for a list of general exceptions.
    • Students must upload a current Academic Course Plan, developed and approved by their academic advisor to demonstrate feasibility of completing multiple degree objectives.
    • 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.
  6. Complete the online application

Award Details

Application Timeline

Application Periods

AAA funding is available only for the Fall and Spring semesters. Students must reapply each semester to confirm their continued eligibility. Applications can be submitted at any time before the final Round 2 deadline without disadvantage, as all applicants receive equal consideration.

Award notifications will be based on the submission deadline. Final award notifications will be sent prior to the Add/Drop deadline, allowing students who are not approved to drop additional units if they wish to avoid incurring extra tuition fees.

[Fall 2025 Application Opens] Monday, March 31, 2025

Round 1 Deadline

Students who apply by the Round 1 Deadline will be notified of their award status and have their student accounts credited before the August payment due date. Students should only apply during Round 1 if they have finalized their scheduled and enrolled in over 18 units and billed for additional tuition. 

During Round 1, we will not review applications for students enrolled in 18 units or below. Students who are unable to fully complete their registration until the start of the Fall semester should wait to submit an application by the Round 2 Deadline.

[Round 1 Deadline] Sunday, June 15, 2025

Round 1 reviews will begin on June 9 and continue through the first deadline

Final notification of award status by Friday, June 27*

Round 2 (Final) Deadline

Students applying by the Round 2 deadline will have their award posted no later than the end of Week 4 in the given term. These students should expect to pay for their additional units upfront until a credit can be applied to their account.

Applicants may apply during Round 2 even if they have not yet enrolled in all required units; however, the award will not be credited to their account until they are fully enrolled in all additional units.

[Round 2 Deadline – Final] Friday, September 5, 2025

Round 2 reviews will resume by August 25 and continue through the final deadline

Final notification of award status by Thursday, September 11*

*Notification dates subject to change

Coursework Exceptions

Coursework

Generally, AAA funding is approved for students who are enrolled in courses that fulfill major, minor, or general education requirements (i.e. WRIT, GE’s, foreign language courses).

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

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 meet all stated eligibility criteria. Additionally, eligible students within two semesters of graduation who have completed all other degree requirements may take elective courses or those that do not fulfill specific degree requirements.

Appeals may be considered for other courses on a case-by-case basis. To submit a course appeal, you must provide verification from your academic advisor and/or faculty mentor as part of your AAA application.

General exceptions include the following:

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

Changes & Withdrawals

Submitting Course Changes

Award recipients must notify Academic Honors and Fellowships of any changes to their coursework well in advance of the Week 3 Add/Drop deadline. To ensure timely review and approval, students must submit updates via the AAA application by the deadlines specified in their approval letter.

To maintain eligibility, all changes must be reviewed and approved by our office within the required timeframe. While students may make adjustments to their schedules through the Web Registration system until the Week 3 Add/Drop deadline, we strongly advise against adding courses after Week 1. Past experience has shown that students who enroll late often struggle to catch up with missed coursework.

Withdrawal Policy

Dropping Courses Between Weeks 3 – 7 (September 13 – October 10, 2025):

If you withdraw from courses after Week 3 and before Week 7, your award will be reversed, and you will be responsible for covering the cost of additional units above standard tuition (12 – 18 units). It is crucial that you talk with your advisors and 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 prevent students from sampling courses without facing academic penalty.

Dropping Courses After Week 7:

If you do wait until after Week 7 to withdraw from a course and opt to take a “W” on your transcript, you will not be charged for the extra units.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Academic Achievement Award Application

Fall 2025 Applications Open March 31