International Student Guidelines

Money Matters

We recommend that you bring a minimum of US$2,000 for immediate expenses. Do not carry large sums of cash with you when you travel. Your immediate costs will include transportation and your first month’s living expenses.

If you are awarded a graduate assistantship or stipend from USC, you will receive your first paycheck at the end of August. Please note that, because the fall term begins in mid-August, your first check will reflect only half the monthly stipend, and you should plan accordingly.

Paying Your Tuition and Fees

As a graduate student at USC, you will have a student account. Each month, students and their authorized guests will receive an e-Bill notification when a new monthly billing statement becomes available online. All e-Bill notifications are sent to the official USC email address for the student and any email addresses the student has entered for guest users.

For fall and spring terms, student accounts must be settled (paid in full) by 5:00 p.m. Pacific time on the Friday before the first day of classes. Payment after that date will incur late fees and potential finance charges.

All fees for tuition, health services, university housing and special program costs are payable by check or cashier’s check, or by wire transfer, which requires two to four weeks depending on the type of transfer. For information about all payment methods, please refer to the Enroll at USC page.

Financial Assistance for International Students

If you are an international student, you are not eligible to receive federal financial aid, but you can be considered for merit scholarships, departmental scholarships, teaching and research assistantships. Contact your school or department for more information.

Additionally, the university offers both the USC Payment Plan and the Prepayment Plan. Please visit Student Financial Services’ Payment Plans page for more information.

Please visit the Financial Aid Office for other sources of aid that may be available to international students.

Wire Transfer of Funds

To pay your tuition and fees by wire transfer, log in to your OASIS or myUSC account to access USCe.pay. Follow the instructions provided to generate a wire transfer request form through our payment provider. Before you use this method, however, we recommend that you visit Student Financial Services’ Wire Transfer page for more information.

The transfer must be completed by 5:00 p.m. Pacific time on the Friday before the first day of classes or late fees will be assessed. It can take several weeks for a wire transfer to clear, depending on where the funds originate.

You may wire funds for university-billed expenses only. Do not wire funds to your student account for personal living and spending needs.

Foreign Exchange Requirements

If you will be depending on money from abroad for your expenses, you must become familiar with the foreign exchange requirements of your country. Make arrangements in advance so that you will have the necessary funds at regular intervals.