Admission Requirements

Applicants must meet the minimum admission requirements of the USC Graduate School, as well as the following:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a natural science from an accredited college or university
  • A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0
  • A minimum of two letters of recommendation are required. The letters should be from faculty members who can evaluate an applicant’s potential for graduate work.
  • For international students, please refer to the English Proficiency Expectations on the Graduate Admissions International Students English Proficiency website.

Please note:  the GRE exam is no longer a requirement for application to the program. If an applicant would like to submit a GRE or MCAT score, the admissions committee will take the submitted score into consideration.

Application Requirements

***Applications will not be reviewed until all components have been submitted and processed.***

  • MS applicants must apply to and be accepted by both the USC Graduate School and the Department of Pathology to enter the program.
  • MS applicants will be expected to participate in admissions interviews with our Pathology department faculty.

Applications will be considered complete once the following components are submitted:

  • CV/Resume
  • Statement of Purpose: Brief overall summary of your degree objective and future goals.  A statement of purpose will touch on your academic and career goals as well as your past credentials.
  • Personal Statement: Your personal statement should allow our admissions committee to gain a deeper understanding of who you are apart from your education/research and work experience.  It explains why you are the right fit for the program and a worthwhile applicant.  It is also an opportunity to highlight important factors that may not be readily available in the rest of your application.
  • Official Transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended: Applications will be considered complete only with official transcripts submitted from all post-secondary academic institutes of study attended, regardless of whether they earned a degree from that institution. This includes transfer credits, baccalaureate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate work.
    In addition to including your transcripts with your application, please submit official transcripts to USC Graduate Admissions (USC’s Graduate Admissions guidance here). Official transcripts are required before an offer of admission can be made. Please request them from your previous universities several weeks before the deadline to avoid delays in an admissions response.
  • Letters of Recommendation: A minimum of two letters of recommendation are required.  The letters should be from faculty members who can evaluate an applicant’s potential for graduate work.
  • TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic Scores: All applicants who earned undergraduate degrees in a non-English speaking country are required to submit their TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic Scores. Please refer to the English Proficiency Expectations on the Graduate Admissions International Students English Proficiency website.

Fall Admission Deadlines:

Priority Deadline (International and Scholarship Consideration): March 1

Fall 2023 Deadline (Domestic): May 1

This program at Keck School of Medicine of USC accepts application for Fall Admission. Priority Application Portal opens December 1st and closes March 1st.  Priority deadline is for all international applicants.  Additionally, any domestic or international applicants who wish to be considered for potential scholarship awards must apply by the priority deadline.  Priority deadline applicants are encouraged to apply early and must have a full completed application submitted by March 1st.  International applications received after the priority deadline will only be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Application Deadline for Domestic students is May 1.