USC residence requirements are university guidelines for courses that must be taken at USC. Leaves of absence are generally declared to give students time to deal with personal, family, financial, and/or medical emergencies; NOT as a means to circumvent the university’s residence requirements. Students should not plan to take courses at another institution during a leave of absence.
University Guidelines for Residence Requirements at USC
The following applies to all students beginning their undergraduate studies at USC:
- A minimum of 64 total units toward the bachelor’s degree must be earned in residence at USC.
- All upper-division units required for the major and minor must be earned in residence at USC.
- Architecture students and Engineering “3-2” Program students should contact their academic advisors for specific residence requirements in those programs.
- Once a student achieves junior standing (64 total units completed), no more than 8 units may be completed in transfer (not to exceed 64 total transfer units).
In the event that there is a compelling need to pursue coursework at another institution during your leave, you must secure the necessary approvals IN ADVANCE in order to be eligible for transfer credit. Please contact your academic advisor before taking courses during a fall or spring term outside of USC, and request pre-approval in advance for summer courses through OASIS, which can be access through myUSC: https://my.usc.edu/.