All international PhD students and all PhD students receiving funding from USC must be enrolled full-time, which is 6 units for credit counting towards their PhD program, or enrolled in 794ABCDZ Doctoral Dissertation or GRSC-800 Studies for the Qualifying Exam in order to maintain satisfactory academic progress and receive university funding. Please be aware that neither fellowships nor graduate assistantship tuition awards will pay for audited classes. All classes must be taken for credit in order to be eligible for financial aid awards. Furthermore, audited classes do not count towards full-time enrollment requirement for maintaining F1 visa status.
Friday, Jan. 26, 2018 is also the deadline for:
- Dropping classes and receiving a tuition refund. Please refer to the Registration Calendar for more information.
- Waiving out of Health Insurance. All PhD students are automatically enrolled in the USC Student Health Insurance Plan. If you are a PhD student who received a Health Award or any form of support from USC (fellowship or graduate assistantship) you may NOT request a waiver for the health insurance, dental insurance or student health fee. If you are not university-funded and you are already covered under a comprehensive outside health insurance policy, you may submit a waiver request online to opt-out of the USC Health Insurance Plan. Please visit this website to request a waiver to opt-out of the USC Student Health Insurance Plan.
- Opt-out of Tuition Refund Insurance. By default, at the time you register, Web Registration will enroll in you Tuition Refund Insurance. You can opt-out via Web Registration. If you do not opt-out, you are responsible for paying Tuition Refund Insurance.
- Consulting with your graduate advisor regarding Leave of Absence (LOA) if you do not plan to enroll in the spring 2018 term.
International students, you are required to maintain full-time enrollment status of 6 units in Fall or Spring semesters. If you are not enrolling in 6 units, 794ABCDZ, or GRSC 800, please email Tracy Charles at tcharles@usc.edu to set up an appointment to request a Reduced Course Load. Do not submit an online application.
You are encouraged to review our academic policies.
If you have any questions, please contact a GAPP advisor by coming to OHE 106 or email phd@gapp.usc.edu
Published on January 24th, 2018
Last updated on October 14th, 2021