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University of Southern California graduate programs

City Year is proud to partner with the University of Southern California’s graduate programs, offering application fee waivers towards any graduate program.

The University of Southern California’s graduate programs offer City Year AmeriCorps members, alums and staff

Application fee waivers

Application fee waivers will be provided for all City Year applicants who apply to a graduate program at the University of Southern California.

Applicants can only utilize a fee waiver once, so please make sure to apply to all the programs for which you would like to be considered at the same time.

The application fee waiver is awarded to City Year AmeriCorps members and recent alums (within the last two years) who complete at least one term of service and City Year staff employed for at least two years.

In addition to the benefit described above, City Year applicants may apply for need- and merit-based scholarship aid.

Why City Year loves the University of Southern California’s graduate programs

The University of Southern California is a diverse community of scholars in the heart of Los Angeles—a dynamic center for technology, health services, media and the arts. The University of Southern California has more than 400 graduate programs offered by the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and over 20 professional schools.

The Graduate School supports students regardless of program, from application to degree conferral. Its mission is to promote an outstanding educational experience, celebrate student achievements and provide leadership for graduate education. The Graduate School is situated in the Office of the Provost and Academic Programs.

To apply

Please start your online application and select the program(s) to which you are planning to apply.

Fee waiver approval can take approximately three to four business days, so please plan accordingly if you have an application deadline.

To identify your City Year affiliation

To identify your City Year affiliation, a service verification letter must be requested by emailing alumni@cityyear.org with “USC graduate programs: service verification letter” in the subject line. Within the email, include the site where you served and dates of service. This letter will be sent to back to you to upload to the online application.

To access the application fee waiver

To get the application fee waived, please complete this form. Under “select an area,” choose “graduate admission” and the USC school you are applying to. Then, under “category,” choose “application fee waivers” and the “AmeriCorps/Peace Corps/TFA applicant” option. Please attach your service verification letter. You must make sure to use the same email address as your application and also include the name of the program to which you are applying. Failure to do so could considerably delay processing your request.

You will receive an email notification if and when your fee waiver is approved. You must wait to receive this confirmation in order to skip the payment page when you submit your application. No refunds will be issued post-submission.

For more details, review the University of Southern California’s application fee waiver video tutorial.

To contact the admissions office

To contact the graduate admissions office, please call (213) 740-7051 with any questions.

Please note that all admissions and scholarship decisions are made by the educational institution. AmeriCorps members, alums and staff interested in these scholarships must complete the full application process for the institution. Please pay close attention to deadlines and consider beginning work on your applications early in the year.

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