University of Southern California

• Professional resumeRequired
• Official transcriptsRequired

  From all colleges and universities attended; upload to the application and send to USC Graduate Admission. Must be received before the application deadline. Not accepted by email.

• Letters of Recommendation (not required)No recommendation letters

  Listed under 'Application Criteria': 'Letters of Recommendation are not required'.

• GMAT (not required)Optional

  'GMAT/GRE are not required.' The page doesn't say whether submitted scores are considered.

• GRE (not required)Optional

  'GMAT/GRE are not required.' The page doesn't say whether submitted scores are considered.

• IELTS, PTE Academic or TOEFLIf your degree wasn't taught in EnglishRequired

  IELTS: International applicants only. No MSBA minimum is published; USC's master's-level placement thresholds are not admission minimums. Scores within 24 months; no superscoring. Placement threshold: 6.5 with 6+ on each band.

  PTE Academic: International applicants only. No MSBA minimum is published; USC's master's-level placement thresholds are not admission minimums. Scores within 24 months; no superscoring. Listed in the catalogue and on USC's English proficiency page, but not on the MSBA admissions page. Placement threshold: 61 with 53+ on each band.

  TOEFL: International applicants only. No MSBA minimum is published; USC's master's-level placement thresholds are not admission minimums. Scores within 24 months; no superscoring. Placement thresholds: 90+ with 20+ per section (tests before Jan 21, 2026); 4.5+ with 4+ per section (new scale).

  Waiver / exemption: Exempt if you hold or are enrolled in a USC degree; hold a bachelor's from a U.S. regionally accredited university or an equivalent from a qualifying Anglophone country where English is the only official language and language of instruction; completed a master's or doctorate in such a country; or are a native English speaker from a country where English is both the only official language and the language of instruction (e.g. UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada except Quebec). No waivers for work experience or English-taught programs in non-Anglophone countries.

  Waiver / exemption: Exempt if you hold or are enrolled in a USC degree; hold a bachelor's from a U.S. regionally accredited university or an equivalent from a qualifying Anglophone country where English is the only official language and language of instruction; completed a master's or doctorate in such a country; or are a native English speaker from a country where English is both the only official language and the language of instruction (e.g. the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada except Quebec). No waivers for work experience or English-taught programs in non-Anglophone countries.

• One-minute video essay

  The school’s official pages say this differently. Here is what each one says — check with the school before you rely on it.

  One-minute video essay (catalogue wording)

  The 2026–2027 catalogue lists a one-minute video essay on an application topic as part of a complete application.

  Program: Business Analytics (MS), USC Catalogue 2026-2027 ↗

  Kira video interview (by invitation)

  By invitation only, after the application is submitted.

  MS Business Analytics (MSBA) Admissions - USC Marshall ↗

Who can apply

• Bachelor's degree or equivalentRequired

  From a regionally accredited institution. Applicants still completing their undergraduate degree may apply; final admission is conditional upon successful completion of the degree.

• Statistics courseRequired

  At least one credit-bearing statistics course (or several) from an accredited college, covering basic probability, probability distributions, inferential statistics (t-tests, chi-square, confidence intervals, sampling) and intro to linear regression. Applicants without this coverage are not considered. Prior programming experience is not required.