Your Viterbi Master’s journey starts here.

Deferral requests will be considered if you have experienced unexpected circumstances that will prevent you from applying for, or enrolling in, the semester that you originally intended. Please read the following carefully:

• You may submit a request to defer your application for a future semester within one year of your original application semester (Example: If you are admitted to Fall 2025, you could request to defer your admission to Spring 2026 or Fall 2026)
• Admission is not guaranteed, and deferred applications are reviewed along with all other applications for that term
• You do not need to submit a new application or pay the application fee again. You will need to submit any information that has changed since your original application, including updated/final transcripts, valid and official test scores, and/or financial documents
• You can only defer to semesters for which your program has a start term (i.e., if a program does not have a spring start, you cannot defer to spring; you would need to defer to the following fall)
• All updated application materials need to be received by the application deadline for the new semester to which you are applying
• If you already submitted your intent to enroll and commitment deposit, and your request to defer is approved, the $1,000.00 commitment deposit will automatically be applied to the new term if readmitted

Next Step:
Complete and submit the Deferral Request Form. You will receive a confirmation of your submission and further instructions.

IMPORTANT:
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have fully withdrawn/dropped from all registered courses. This is in addition to withdrawing or deferring your enrollment/admission and must be done to avoid being charged fees. Please visit the following links for instructions on how to properly drop a course:

Dropping a Class
How do I drop a course?

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:

• • If you have been issued an I-20 and want to use that I-20/SEVIS Record for the deferred semester, then you must do the following:
    
    1. Submit your Deferral Request by your program start date
    2. Once admitted to your deferred term, you should immediately submit the Statement of Intent to Enroll
    3. Request an updated I-20 through Trojan International within 30 days of your program start date.
  • If you do not follow the above steps and do not request your updated I-20 within 30 days of your program start date, then your I-20 will be canceled (for initial I-20 students) or terminated (for Transfer I-20 holders)
  • International students can still submit deferral requests beyond 30 days of the program start date, but will be issued a new I-20

The best way to connect with your department before committing to USC is by attending, or watching the recording of, an Admitted Student Department Webinar. After you submit your Statement of Intent, you’ll receive regular communication from the Viterbi Admission and Student Engagement (VASE) office via your USC email, including invitations to academic department webinars. During these sessions, typically held in the summer, academic advisors introduce course registration and next steps.

Yes. Admitted students are invited to participate in a range of virtual and in-person events designed to help you explore campus, connect with faculty, and meet future classmates.

Explore admitted student events →

Please contact den@viterbi.usc.edu so our team can assist you.