Key differences on Getting in

1
U. Southern California's SAT midpoint is 30 points higher than Boston's
SAT midpoint
2
U. Southern California's yield is 3 pts higher than Boston's
Yield rate
3
Boston admits 11% vs. 11% at U. Southern California
Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. Southern California11%

Boston11%Most selective

Applicants

U. Southern California83.5KMost

Boston78.8K

Admitted

U. Southern California9.3KMost

Boston8.7K

Yield rate

U. Southern California40%Highest

Boston37%

Quad's selectivity

U. Southern CaliforniaHighly selective
BostonHighly selective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. Southern California9.1%

Boston11%

Men admitted

U. Southern California11%

Boston11%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Southern California

1470–1540

Boston

1420–1530

Axis runs 1300–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Southern California

32–35

Boston

32–34

Axis runs 28–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. Southern California33%

Boston33%

Submitted ACT

U. Southern California12%

Boston10%

Test policy

U. Southern CaliforniaTest-optional
BostonTest-optional

How they read a record

U. Southern California
and GPA are both very important; tests are considered. 80% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher, so and rarely sets an applicant apart; the courses behind it carry more of the weight.
Boston
GPA, the high school record, and a college-prep program are required; class rank is considered. 78% of first-years who sent test scores had a 3.75 or higher, so .

What they look at

Factor	U. Southern California	Boston
High school GPA	Very important	Required
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Not considered	Considered
College-prep program	Required	Required
Recommendations	Very important	Required
Essay	Very important	Required
Legacy status	Considered	Not considered
Work experience	Considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Required	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:University of Southern California (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of Southern California Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why