University of Southern California
What USC says
Exact quotes from USC’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
For Domestic undergraduates, filing a leave of absence is primarily a declaration process. There is no approval or denial given.
— loa.usc.edu ↗OIS must receive the completed Leave of Absence Request, signed by the student’s academic advisor, by the first day of the semester
— ois.usc.edu ↗Typically, a leave of absence is for one semester or one academic year. A leave of absence may be extended by contacting an academic advisor.
— loa.usc.edu ↗In advance of your return to USC (at least one month prior is recommended), students are responsible for reaching out to all applicable offices and departments including their academic advisor, the Registrar, Financial Aid
— loa.usc.edu ↗For Domestic undergraduates, filing a leave of absence is primarily a declaration process. There is no approval or denial given.
— loa.usc.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- USC appears to treat a domestic undergrad leave as a declaration, with no approval or denial.
- No deadline is stated for domestic undergrads; international students have earlier form deadlines.
- Leave looks like one semester or a year, extendable via your advisor.
- Reasons accepted: any personal reason (International students: must stay enrolled; OIS process).
- Time away allowed: not stated on public pages.
- Classes start Jan 11.
Before you decide
Check on the following…
- Will my spot be held?Check how long your school keeps your place and whether you have to apply to come back.Ask: Registrar
- Will I graduate later?A term off can push back your graduation. Ask which required classes only run in the spring.Ask: Academic advisor
- Is there a deadline to ask?Some schools want your leave request before January. Find out the exact date and the form.Ask: Dean’s office or registrar
- What happens to my scholarships and aid?Ask whether your scholarships and grants pause while you’re away or end, and what you need to do to get them back.Ask: Financial aid office
- When would I have to start repaying loans?Student loans usually stop being deferred when you’re not enrolled. After a short grace period, often six months, payments can start.Ask: Financial aid office
- Will I still have health insurance?A student health plan usually needs you to be enrolled. Make sure you’re covered from January to April.Ask: Student health office
- What about my housing?Ask whether you can leave your housing contract without a penalty and whether you’ll get housing when you come back.Ask: Housing office
- I’m on a student visa. Does this affect it?For F-1 students, not enrolling usually ends your visa status. Talk to this office before anything else.Ask: International student office
Student founder community
Entrepreneurship center
Hard-tech team
- USC Formula Electric ↗50+ member team building an electric open-wheel Formula SAE car.
- USC Racing (Formula SAE) ↗USC's combustion Formula SAE team.
- USC Rocket Propulsion Lab (USCRPL) ↗Student lab that sent the first undergraduate-built rocket to space (2019).
- Viterbi Student Design Teams (directory) ↗Official list of USC Viterbi competition teams (solar car, AeroDesign, FSAE and more).
Why 89
Spend the winter building. Southbound runs Jan 11 to Apr 11, 2027 in Miami. Acceptance is rolling.
What we could find (checked Oct 22, 2026). Not final: confirm dates and aid with your school before you act. Source pages look current for 2026–27. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.