Applying to USC in 2026 means that you are facing a lot of competition.
Luckily, one of the most effective tools you have to stand out from the crowd is your essays and responses to USC's writing supplement.
In this article, I've gathered 4 of the best essays from students admitted into the University of Southern California so that you can get inspired and improve your own USC essays.
What is University of Southern California's Acceptance Rate?
This past year, a record 70,971 students applied to USC and only 8,804 students were offered admission. That means USC had an overall acceptance rate of only 12.4%.
If you're trying to maximize your shot of getting into USC, writing essays that show why you should be accepted is one of your best strategies.
USC Acceptance Scattergram
The more competitive a school admissions is, the more heavily your essays are weighed. Let's check out the USC prompts for this year.
What are the University of Southern California Supplemental Prompts for 2022-23?
For its application this year, USC requires students to respond to three short essay questions and ten short answer questions.
USC has an intensive writing section, which means its even more important for you to make your responses the best they can be.
Here are the University of Southern California prompts for 2026:
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Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (Approximately 250 words) (1-250 words)
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Starting with the beginning of high school/secondary school, if you have had a gap where you were not enrolled in school during a fall or spring term, please address this gap in your educational history. You do not need to address a summer break. (0-250 words)
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Describe yourself in three words.
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What is your favorite snack?
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Best movie of all time:
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Dream job:
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If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
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Dream trip:
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What TV show will you binge watch next?
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Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate?
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Favorite book:
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If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?
4 University of Southern California EssaysThatWorked
Here are 4 of the best USC essays that worked for this years writing supplement.
Below you can read how admitted USC students answered the short essay and short answer questions. In addition, I've included some Common App personal statements examples recently accepted students.
See exactly how students got into USC and get inspired:
USC Essay Example #1
USC Essay Example #2
USC Essay Example #3
USC Essay Example #4
What Can You Learn From These USC Essays?
If you want to get into the University of Southern California, you'll need to answer the USC writing supplement questions as best you can. To help improve your essays, you can read these 6 essays that worked for USC and see how students got accepted.
Let me know, what did you think about these USC essays?
Meet the Author
I'm Ryan Chiang and I created EssaysThatWorked.com - a website dedicated to helping students and their families apply to college with confidence & ease. We publish the best college admissions essays from successful applicants every year to inspire and teach future students.
