USC is proud to be a member of the Tuition Exchange program, offering children of eligible USC employees the opportunity to apply for a Tuition Exchange Scholarship at 700+ member schools.
Please note that this program cannot be used in conjunction with USC Tuition Assistance Benefits (TAB). If your child accepts a Tuition Exchange scholarship, they will not be eligible for Tuition Assistance at USC.
This site is intended for USC employees and their families. If you are an employee of another Tuition Exchange participating school, please visit your school’s Tution Exchange School Profile to identify your Tuition Exchange Liaison Officer and USC’s Tuition Exchange Profile for more detail.
Click below to jump to different sections on this page:
Who is eligible
Tuition Exchange is a scholarship program available to children of eligible USC employees – as outlined in the eligibility requirements below – at participating Tuition Exchange schools.
Eligibility requirements
Current Employees
Must be a benefits-eligible, full-time (100% FTE) faculty or staff member.
Former Employees
Former USC employees hired before July 1, 2011 who completed 15 years of eligible service and received their 15-year Service Provision Letter may still apply for Tuition Exchange for their eligible child.
Your child
- Must be your biological, legally adopted, or stepchild; other children under your legal guardianship are not eligible.
- Must be under age 26; the scholarship will expire at the end of the semester in which the child turns 26.
- Must not have already used Tuition Assistance.
Service Requirements
For Staff
Staff must complete at least two years of service by July 31 the year prior to the first Academic Year they wish to use the benefit.
For example, an employee hired on July 1, 2020, would satisfy two years of service on July 1, 2022. Because they satisfied two years of service before July 31, 2022, they would be eligible to submit a Tuition Exchange application for the 2023 – 2024 school year. Employees hired on or after August 1, 2020, would not be eligible to submit a Tuition Exchange application for the 2023 – 2024 school year.
For Faculty
Faculty do not have a 2 year service requirement.
Employee eligibility to participate in the Tuition Exchange program does not guarantee a Tuition Exchange Scholarship will be granted to the student. Each participating school has their own selection criteria listed on their Tuition Exchange School Profile.
What you may be eligible for
Tuition Exchange is a reciprocal scholarship opportunity for children of eligible faculty and staff at all 700+ individual Tuition Exchange member schools.
Tuition Exchange scholarships are awarded for up to eight semesters, depending on entering class level. For example, a freshman would be granted eight semesters, a sophomore six semesters, a junior four semesters, and a senior two semesters to complete the program. Schools offering Graduate Tuition Exchange scholarships provide a maximum of four semesters of eligibility.
The scholarship amount varies by school, ranging from the minimum Tuition Exchange set rate determined for each academic year to the full tuition amount. The student can review the scholarship amount as well as the selection criteria for each school on their Tuition Exchange School Profile.
Tuition Exchange application journey
Start by studying the Tuition Exchange website which includes an informational webinar, application guidance, and a complete list of participating schools. The School List also includes detailed information on each member school, including the school’s Tuition Exchange deadlines, award guidelines and packages, and eligible programs of study.
There are multiple steps to the Tuition Exchange process to be completed by both the sponsoring employee and the child. Please ensure you begin the application process early, 12-15 months before the first semester, to ensure you are meeting all deadlines.
1
Confirm eligibility
Employee must submit USC’s Tuition Exchange certification form for current employees along with state certification of relationship and signed acknowledgement form. The certification window runs from August 1 to November 30 for the following academic year.
Former Employees with their 15 year Service Provision Letter may complete the certification form for former employees with their 15-year Service Provision Letter and submit to uschr@usc.edu with state certification of relationship.
2
Create Tuition Exchange EZ Profile
Child completes their Tuition Exchange profile and application and selects up to 20 schools of interest.
3
Apply for admission
Child must complete the application process for each school of interest according to the school’s published application deadlines.
What happens next
Once eligibility is confirmed, the USC Tuition Exchange Liaison Officer will update eligibility status on the Tution Exchange EZ account.
Each institution will then evaluate the applicant’s academic merit as a possible Tuition Exchange scholarship recipient and update their scholarship application status on the Tuition Exchange EZ account.
The school(s) will notify the student directly of any next steps required for their institution. Once eligibility is confirmed in Tuition Exchange EZ account, all questions should be directed to the participating schools’ scholarship process to that school’s Tuition Exchange Liaison Officer.
You can reapply the following year as long as you remain eligible under the conditions listed above and the member school does not limit the scholarship to incoming freshmen only.
Students are encouraged to check their application status regularly via their Tuition Exchange EZ account.