The BS in Business Administration at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business is one of USC's most popular undergraduate majors, backed by Marshall's strong national reputation and USC's location in Los Angeles, a major hub for entertainment, technology, and finance-adjacent industries on the West Coast. This guide covers the undergraduate BS in Business Administration specifically, not USC's separate MBA program, which follows its own distinct admissions process, cost structure, and applicant pool.
This guide walks through what it takes to get into USC's undergraduate Business Administration program, including the acceptance-rate reality, cost, requirements, English-test rules, and where graduates go.
Acceptance Rate
USC does not publish a separate acceptance rate for Business Administration specifically. USC admits undergraduates to the university as a whole, and Marshall applicants go through the same core admissions process as other USC undergraduates:
- University-wide undergraduate: USC's Class of 2029 was admitted at an overall fall rate of about 10.4% (roughly 8,684 admits from about 83,500 applications); including a separate spring admit cohort, the combined rate runs closer to 13%. This is a meaningful drop from the 15%+ acceptance rates USC posted about a decade ago.
- There is no separate Business Administration-specific acceptance rate, but Marshall is consistently one of USC's most sought-after schools within the applicant pool, alongside Cinematic Arts and Viterbi Computer Science, so applicants should not assume Business Administration is meaningfully easier to get into than USC's overall figure.
Bottom line: treat the 10.4% figure as an honest university-wide proxy for Business Administration admissions, not a Marshall-specific number, since USC's own admissions data does not break selectivity out by intended major.
Fees and Cost of Attendance
Undergraduate (BS Business Administration, 4-year degree):
| Cost Item | Amount (USD/year) |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $75,384 |
| Living expenses | $18,541 |
| Total estimated cost of attendance | $93,925 |
For the full four-year BS, that puts total program cost at roughly $375,000-$380,000 before financial aid. Tuition is identical for domestic and international students, and identical to USC's other undergraduate schools; Marshall does not charge a separate higher undergraduate tuition rate. USC's need-based aid program covers roughly two-thirds of undergraduates in some form, though international undergraduate aid is more limited and competitive than domestic aid.
Note: this figure applies specifically to the undergraduate BS in Business Administration. USC's separate MBA program (Marshall's graduate degree) has its own distinct tuition, application process, and cost structure, and is not covered by this guide.
Admission Requirements
Based on USC's published international undergraduate applicant requirements:
- Common Application
- USC-specific supplemental writing questions
- Official high school transcript
- School Report and counselor recommendation
- Teacher recommendation letter
- SAT or ACT scores (test-optional through the 2026-27 cycle; only around 44% of enrollees submitted scores; the middle 50% SAT range for admitted students is 1450-1540)
- English proficiency test score for applicants whose first language is not English
- Application fee of $90, or an approved fee waiver
USC offers Early Action (deadline November 1, decisions mid-January) and Regular Decision (deadline January 10, decisions by April 1). USC recently expanded Early Decision to nearly all undergraduate programs starting with Fall 2027 applicants, a shift from its historical Early Action-only model, so confirm the current-cycle application plan for Marshall specifically.
How to Get Into USC's Business Administration Program
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Use the supplemental writing questions to show genuine interest in business, not just strong grades. USC's short-answer prompts are read closely for individual voice and fit; Marshall applicants who can connect a specific interest (entrepreneurship, finance, marketing) to concrete prior experience stand out more than generic "I want to study business" essays.
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Show leadership or initiative outside the classroom. Business Administration applicants benefit from demonstrated leadership in clubs, internships, part-time entrepreneurial projects, or competitions, since Marshall admissions weighs initiative and communication skills heavily alongside academics.
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If you submit SAT/ACT scores, target the upper end of USC's range. Since USC is test-optional, only submit scores that meaningfully strengthen your application (SAT 1450+, ACT 32+ puts you inside the current middle-50% range for admitted students).
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Clear the English-proficiency bar with real margin, especially Speaking and Writing. Business coursework at Marshall is discussion- and presentation-heavy, and USC's own data shows admitted students average a TOEFL well above 111, notably higher than the published 100 minimum.
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Consider the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology-style dual interests explicitly, if relevant. Applicants interested in combining business with technology or engineering should make that interdisciplinary interest clear in their application, since USC's cross-school structure supports minors and electives across Marshall and Viterbi.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
USC applies its standard undergraduate English-proficiency policy to Business Administration applicants:
- IELTS: minimum 7.0 overall, recommended 7.5
- TOEFL: minimum 100 overall with no section below 20 (legacy 0-120 scale, tests before January 21, 2026); 5 overall with no section below 4 on ETS's new 1-6 CEFR-aligned scale for tests from that date onward; USC notes admitted students average above 111
- PTE: minimum 68
- Duolingo: minimum 130
- Waiver: not required if English is the applicant's native language or secondary schooling was conducted entirely in English at a school in a recognized English-speaking country; a sufficiently high SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (650+) can also satisfy the requirement in some cases
- Conditional admission: applicants admitted using only the Duolingo English Test must sit USC's own International Student English Exam through the American Language Institute upon matriculation
Because Marshall's coursework leans heavily on case discussions, group presentations, and written business communication, applicants should treat the published minimums as a floor, not a target, particularly for Speaking and Writing. For the full breakdown of USC's testing policy, see USC IELTS requirements and USC TOEFL requirements.
Career Outcomes
USC does not publish outcomes broken out specifically for Business Administration; the figures below are USC's broader university-wide undergraduate outcomes, presented as an honest proxy rather than a Marshall-specific statistic:
- USC does not publish an undergraduate employment rate or average starting salary figure university-wide or for Business Administration specifically
- Top recruiters (university-wide undergraduate): Amazon, Google, Deloitte, J.P. Morgan, Walt Disney Company, Northrop Grumman
- Marshall graduates benefit from USC's large, active "Trojan Family" alumni network (more than 400,000 strong), frequently cited as one of the most engaged in US higher education, and from Los Angeles's concentration of entertainment, technology, and finance-adjacent employers
Applicants wanting hard Business Administration-specific placement-rate or starting-salary figures should consult Marshall's own undergraduate careers office directly, since that level of program-specific detail was not available in the source data for this guide. Note that Marshall's separately published MBA career statistics (a graduate program) are not a substitute for undergraduate BS-level outcomes.
FAQ
Does USC publish a separate acceptance rate for Business Administration? No. USC admits undergraduates to the university as a whole, not to a specific major, so there is no Business-Administration-specific acceptance rate. The best available figure is USC's own published overall fall admit rate of 10.4% for the Class of 2029 (about 13% combined with the spring cohort).
What IELTS or TOEFL score do I need for USC Business Administration? Applicants should target IELTS 7.0+ (7.5 recommended) or TOEFL 100+, since USC notes that admitted students actually average above 111. Marshall's discussion- and presentation-heavy coursework rewards scores comfortably above the published minimum, especially in Speaking and Writing.
Is this the same as USC's MBA program? No. This guide covers the undergraduate BS in Business Administration at Marshall, a four-year bachelor's degree. USC's MBA is a separate graduate program with its own distinct admissions process, cost structure (billed differently from undergraduate tuition), and typical applicant profile (post-work-experience professionals rather than first-year undergraduates).
How much does USC's Business Administration program cost? Undergraduate tuition is $75,384/year, the same as USC's other undergraduate schools, with total cost of attendance around $93,925/year.
Is USC test-optional for Business Administration applicants? Yes, through the 2026-27 admissions cycle; only around 44% of enrollees submitted SAT or ACT scores. Applicants who submit strong scores (SAT 1450+, ACT 32+) can still use them to strengthen a competitive Marshall application.
Does USC offer Early Decision for Business Administration? USC recently expanded Early Decision to nearly all undergraduate programs, starting with Fall 2027 applicants, a shift from its historical Early Action-only model. Confirm the current-cycle application plan (Early Action vs Early Decision) for Marshall specifically before applying, since this changed recently.