University of Southern California: Transfer Options

Welcome to The American University of Paris (AUP) and your opportunity to enroll in a competitive course plan of USC transferable coursework for the coming academic year.  Entering its ninth year, our relationship with USC has seen more than 700 students successfully transfer to USC for the start of their sophomore year.

As a student, you will:

• Spend your first year of university in the heart of Paris, France
• Study at an international American liberal arts university with classes taught in English
• Experience French cultural and language immersion 
• Explore the liberal arts in an international context
• Live in a Parisian neighborhood
• Earn 32 semester credits which will transfer directly to USC in 2024
• Receive advising and guidance support to design your curriculum to keep you on track at USC

To get started, indicate your interest. Remember this is an indication of your interest and not a binding confirmation of participation in this transfer pathway.

We will send you instructions on how to confirm your participation after USC has validated your application. The confirmation deadline for AUP is May 15th.

There are several ways to learn more about joining AUP for your first year, with the aim of transferring to USC afterwards:

• Attend an Informational Program Briefing with AUP Assistant Director of Admissions Nick Heuer.

  • April 29; 9:00 PM EST: Register Here

• Schedule a one-on-one chat with Nick Heuer.
• Return to this website on a regular basis for updates on specific topics, including transfer requirements, orientation and housing. 

INFORMATION ABOUT AUP

USC has worked with The American University of Paris on providing robust transfer arrangements since 2014.  Established in 1962, AUP is a US-accredited (Middle States Commission on Higher Education) liberal arts university located in the heart of Paris, France which teaches in English.  AUP’s range of disciplines – largely in the art and humanities, social sciences, and pre-professional programs – is a good match for future USC students. AUP’s student body of approximately 1,100 is globally diverse, representing nearly 110 nationalities.  Its outstanding professorial faculty also draws from around the world. Class sizes are small, and the perspectives shared between classmates from so many cultures and backgrounds shape conversations in ways that would never occur in a homogenous classroom setting.

A CHALLENGING PATHWAY

As a successful transfer pathway to USC, you are offered the chance to spend your first year abroad at AUP, earning credits that are fully recognized by USC.

The Paris context is a wonderful opportunity to grow intellectually, personally and in a way that will enhance both your future studies at USC and the rest of your life. But it comes with a challenge: you will find yourself in a different country and cultural context as well as a different learning environment, where expectations in and around the classroom call for quick thinking and flexibility. This might not suit some students and requires a degree of maturity, confidence and independent thinking. The rewards, however, are exceptional.

Spending your first year abroad has many advantages and more and more universities recognize the benefits of an international experience early on. Studying in a different culture broadens your perspective and can help frame your interests. It expands your network of contacts. The benefits of study abroad can have a lasting and positive impact on the remainder of your university career and beyond.  

STUDYING IN PARIS

Spending a year at AUP also means living in Paris. The AUP campus is located centrally in Paris’ historic and cultural 7th arrondissement, home to the Eiffel Tower and Napoleon’s tomb at l'Hôtel des Invalides. Paris plays a central role in many courses you can choose such as art history, political science, or business.  Studying at AUP  provides a unique opportunity to learn or perfect French language skills in a full immersion setting in the heart of France, yet it allows you to rely on English in the classroom, since AUP courses are taught entirely in English. Moreover, while in Europe you will want to take advantage of AUP’s many study-travel opportunities through its Cultural Programs Office. Excursions throughout Europe with AUP faculty members on weekends and during university breaks provide additional opportunities for experiential learning in a global context.

FIRST YEAR COURSEWORK THAT TRANSFERS TO USC

During your year at AUP you will choose courses across a wide range of subjects. Your AUP courses fulfill USC requirements. For example, taking four 4-credit courses each semester at AUP will earn 32 transferable semester credits that convey to USC. Below you will find more specific details on USC transfer requirements. You will enroll in four 4-credit courses in each of both semesters during your first year at The American University of Paris, earning 32 semester credits. 

USC endorses the AUP courses you will be offered, so you are assured that your AUP credits will transfer and fulfill equivalent coursework in the USC Core Curriculum (writing, math, diversity and foreign language); General Education Curriculum (Humanistic Inquiry, Social Analysis, Quantitative Reasoning etc.); and possibly even some lower-division introductory coursework depending on your intended major at USC.

To fulfill USC’s core writing requirement you will successfully complete EN2020 Writing & Criticism course at AUP.  Apart from this, AUP offers a large selection of courses that will fulfill USC transfer recommendations. - you may choose the unique opportunity to explore several courses that incorporate Paris, France or Europe into the curriculum across a wide range of disciplines; history, political science, business, art history, and social sciences for example.  And of course you may choose to build French language skills, as well in any of several other languages at AUP. As a student choosing this pathway, you will complete AUP’s online course pre-registration during the summer prior to arrival. AUP will contact you about this process during May and June. During orientation at AUP, you will meet with an AUP advisor familiar with your transfer path to USC so that your first few days at AUP are as straightforward as possible.

LIVING IN PARIS AND ATTENDING AUP

During your fall semester in Paris you will register as a full-time student at The American University of Paris, taking AUP courses approved by USC, earning AUP transferrable credits, and paying AUP tuition and fees. Once you confirm your participation in the Fall Semester in Paris program, you will begin to receive important pre-arrival information to help prepare for your arrival in France in early September; how to confirm your enrollment, obtain your study visa, find your housing, select your AUP tuition payment plan, etc. AUP is accustomed to working with students from around the world, and is responsive and supportive to your needs as you plan your semester in Paris. 

France is one of the most popular destinations in the world for study abroad. AUP will provide the documents and explain the process required to obtain your student visa. Citizens of the European Union do not require a visa to study in France at AUP.

Please know that federal regulations prohibit AUP from administering US federal loans (Subsidized/Unsubsidized or PLUS loans) for any student using this program during the time spent at AUP. This will NOT affect any loan eligibility in the future at USC, primarily because of its US location. We have verified this with The Foreign Schools Team with the Department of Education. US citizens and permanent residents who qualify may still apply for a private Sallie Mae Smart Option Loan for all legitimate educational and living expenses.

PREPARING FOR USC WHILE IN PARIS

During orientation in early September, you will meet other future Trojans. You all will be assigned the same AUP academic advisor who is familiar with USC requirements and can assist with your planning.

Admission to USC requires a high level of success, in courses likely to be more rigorous than you have experienced in high school. Successfully completing this plan demands hard work and focus, and not all will be successful. USC expects the following of transfer applicants:

1. Complete 30 transferable semester units, earning A’s and B’s,
2. Earn an average GPA of 3.7 in USC-transferable courses, with no individual grade below C (2.0).
3. Complete USC’s lower division writing requirement by a successful grade in AUP's course, EN2020 Writing & Criticism,
4. Complete Intermediate Algebra (if you didn't complete Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II with C's or better in every semester in high school).
5. Take courses in areas of general education (at least two courses per semester), foreign language (if needed for your major), and any lower division courses needed for your intended major.

 CONFIRMING ADMISSION AT AUP

If you are interested in attending AUP to complete USC transfer admission requirements, simply complete this brief online form. You do not need to submit a separate application to AUP. 

AUP will review your USC application materials and decision your participation in this pathway as soon as possible and according to the timetable below. Once approved, you will receive instructions for confirming your enrollment, selecting your housing and payment plan, etc. You will also begin receiving information about life in Paris and study at AUP; everything you need to prepare for your study abroad in France. 

AUP has 60 years of experience working with the families of students who are coming to live and study in Paris from the US and other countries and will do everything possible to make the process fast, efficient and as comfortable as possible.

Spaces on this transfer pathway are limited and you will need to complete the online form as soon as possible.

The deadline to confirm your participation at AUP is May 15. Although space is limited, expressions of interest received after May 15 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.