USC Marshall School Front with Students

How to get into USC Marshall?

Established in 1920 as the College of Commerce and Business Administration, University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business was renamed after alumnus Gordon S. Marshall in 1997 after a generous $35 million donation.

The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, established in 1972 as the Entrepreneurship Program, was the pioneer in its field in the United States and is recognized globally.

Part of the USC Trojan Family, Marshall School of Business has 82,000 active alumni across the globe. The school also organizes regular networking events, for its alumni, that can be found in abundance on the school’s official website.

Marshall Cost of Attendance 2021

Costs First-Year Second-Year
Tuition (based on 2020-2021 tuition) $64,575 $62,525
Fees:    
      USC Central Services and Health Fees 621 621
      Loan Fees (if applicable) 1,548 1,548
      MBA Program Fees 600 300
Books/Supplies 3,100 2,000
Total Living Expenses 25,252 23,924
Total Cost $95,696 $90,918

Marshall Application Process 2021

Application Checklist Requirement
Essay Questions The application consists of the following questions:

Essay 1 (Required) – What is your specific, immediate short-term career goal upon completion of your MBA? Please include an intended position, function, and industry in your response. (word limit: 100)

Essay 2 (Required) – Please draft a letter that begins with “Dear Admissions Committee” (word limit: 600) This letter is meant to be your personal statement that provides the Admissions Committee with an understanding of your candidacy for Marshall beyond what is evident in other parts of your application. This essay is purposely open-ended. You are free to express yourself in whatever way you see fit. Our goal is to have an appreciation for and an understanding of each candidate in ways that are not captured by test scores, grades, and resumes. 

Essay 3 (Optional) Please provide any additional information you would like the admissions committee to consider. (word limit: 250)

Professional Resume A current professional resume must be attached to the application.
Transcripts Transcript submission is a two-step process:

Step #1 – You must upload scanned copies of official transcripts to the online application. Please note that these must be official transcripts printed on university letterhead. Print-outs from online student portals, screenshots, and photographs of transcripts are not acceptable.

Step #2 – After you submit your application and have received your 10 digit USC ID number, you must also submit (by mail, courier, or electronic service) official transcripts from all colleges, universities, and other post-secondary institutions you have previously attended.

GMAT/GRE The applicant must report their valid (no less than 5 years old) GMAT/GRE score on the application. 

GMAT: 389-9C-23

GRE: 4852

TOEFL/IELTS/PTE Every applicant whose native language is not English is required to submit valid TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores during the application process.
Application Fee Not required

Marshall Application Deadlines 2021

Round Application Deadlines Decision NOTIFICATION 
Round 1 October 15, 2020 December 21, 2020
Round 2 January 5, 2021 February 28, 2021
Round 3 February 28, 2021 April 15, 2021
Round 4 March 31, 2021 April 30, 2021
Round 5 Rolling Round  

What does the Marshall admissions committee look for?

Collaboration not Competition

Competition is an integral part of any MBA program, so it can never be completely out of the picture. However, at USC Marshall, the small MBA class size of roughly 200-220 students is more collaborative than competitive.

The Marshall community believes in teamwork, and the admissions committee will also be looking for an applicant that can thrive and contribute to such an environment. Most projects that MBA students at Marshall participate in are group projects of 4-5 students.

This makes being a team-player one of the most important virtues for a Marshall student.

Know your Professional Goals and how a Marshall MBA will help you

Two-Years in an MBA program might seem like a long-time during applications, but it isn’t. With the rigorous curriculum set by the faculty at Marshall, you won’t even realize that the program is over when your graduation day arrives.

Every business school wants to know exactly why you chose them, so does Marshall.

The only real way to answer this question is by doing some pre-MBA networking. This will also portray you as taking initiative in the eye of an admissions committee member. However, don’t let your research for the school be limited to networking only.

Rather than answering ‘Why Marshall?’, try answering, ‘How does Marshall’s location benefit your career?’, or ‘How is the program structure at Marshall different from other top schools and how does that benefit you in particular?’.

While the MBA program at Marshall will help you recognize your strengths and chisel out your career path, you will require a rough sculpture to start with. This is why your professional goals matter to the admissions committee. This also helps them analyze how much of a help Marshall can be in your career path, and better understand your reasons for choosing the school.

For over 15+ years as an Entrepreneur, and India’s Top Educationist, Jatin has led a range of initiatives in the Education Industry. In this role, he has created many successful educational services and products geared towards generating success for professionals aspiring to join IVY League and global Top Tier Universities for MBA Programs, Masters Programs, and undergraduate courses. He is the Founder and CEO of PythaGURUS Education, and has been recognized as a thought leader in the Higher education sector. Economic Times, Hindustan Times, Times of India, India Today, Business Today, Tribune, and many other national newspapers have recognized his work, and have given him numerous opportunities to be a regular columnist. He has also served as a panelist for NDTV, and other national news channels.

Looking to grow in life by exploring a top tier MBA?