What SAT or ACT score do you need for USC?

As of October 2026. Every number below is sourced; the list is at the end.

As of October 2026, USC does not require a score at all. It is test-optional. But among the first-years who enrolled and did send one, the middle half scored 1440 to 1550 on the SAT and 32 to 35 on the ACT (IPEDS, 2023). If you want a score to help the application, that is the band to aim at.

Test-optional is not test-blind

USC still reads a score when it gets one, and its own Class of 2028 numbers show how much that matters. Of the students who applied, 36% sent a score. Of the students USC admitted, 51% had sent one. Hold the overall admit rate fixed and those two shares work out to submitters being admitted about 1.9 times as often as non-submitters (USC Admission and Common Data Set 2024-25). That multiple is arithmetic on USC's own published shares, not a model of ours.

It does not prove the score caused the admit. Strong students tend to have strong scores. But the gap is wide, and no part of it points the other way.

A good score still helps.

Read the band correctly

Be careful with 1440 to 1550. That band describes enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT. It is not the score of admitted students, and it is not a cutoff. Only 32% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT and 14% submitted an ACT, so most of the class is not in that band at all.

Now put it next to the grades. USC admitted 10.0% of 80,808 applicants (IPEDS, 2023). First-years who enrolled in fall 2024 averaged a 3.90 unweighted GPA, with the middle half from 3.79 to 4.00 (Common Data Set 2024-25).

Look at those two numbers again. Grades are already stacked against the ceiling. There is almost nowhere left to move on that line, and a score is one of the few places that still has room.

If your student is sitting at 1350

A 1350 is a strong score. It is also under the band. Moving it takes 6 to 12 weeks of work, and it means preparing for the whole SAT or ACT every sitting, never one section at a time.

Here is what our own students average, from our published results. Students who start at 1350 or below gain 190 points (1210 to 1400). Students who start above 1350 gain 120 (1400 to 1520). Across all of them, 63% gain 200 points or more. Published research puts a typical retest-with-prep gain near 30 SAT points (Briggs, 2009), which is the number we hold ours up against.

An average is not a promise, and your student may land above it or below it. But a 1350 moving into USC's band in one season is ordinary work.

We keep USC's bands, policy, and cost on its Reach page, and a score-odds page for looking at scores across colleges.

The move

This month, have your student sit one full-length practice SAT and one full-length practice ACT before choosing which exam to prepare for, because the better fit is usually obvious once both are on paper. Then block 6 to 12 weeks on the calendar and work the whole test. The mock SAT and ACT are free: prepgurus.com/frequently-asked-questions, or call 949.229.5359 and we will set up a strategy call.

Questions parents ask

Is USC test-optional for my child, or do they need a score?

USC is test-optional, so no score is required. But 36% of applicants submitted one and 51% of admitted students had, which works out to submitters being admitted about 1.9 times as often (USC Admission and Common Data Set 2024-25).

What SAT score is high enough for USC?

Enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT scored 1440 to 1550 in the middle half (IPEDS 2023). That is a band to aim at, not a cutoff, and it describes enrolled submitters rather than everyone admitted.

My daughter has a 1350. Should she prepare again before she applies?

Yes, and 6 to 12 weeks is the window. Our students who start at 1350 or below gain 190 points on average (1210 to 1400), though an average is not a promise for any one student.

Written by Nick Standlea, founder of Test Prep Gurus. Updated October 2026.

Sources

At Test Prep Gurus we teach students how to raise their grades and scores on the ACT, SAT, ISEE, HSPT, APs so they can reach their goals for college and beyond.

It all starts with 3 steps:

  1. Complete practice exams.

  2. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to review your exam results.

  3. Create a 1-on-1 test prep plan to reach your goals for college and beyond.

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