August 26, 2025
The beginning of every academic year is filled with excitement over new connections, community building, and setting intentions for your well-being and success for the year to come. Whether you are new to USC or returning this year, we encourage you to take this time to reflect on our Unifying Values, which guide the whole USC community, and the USC Student Commitment which embodies these values.
In line with our Unifying Values, we all have the responsibility to review Living Our Unifying Values: The USC Student Handbook each year. This document contains important policies that apply during your time as a student, including rules regarding academic integrity, student organizations, and safety.
Our student conduct processes focus on education and supporting your next steps to be successful in your personal, academic, and professional lives at USC. Each year offices and academic departments across the entire university review and assess the policies in the handbook. After careful review, the university makes changes to improve efficiency and transparency.
Please be sure to sure to review the USC Student Handbook for reminders about student behavior and rights and make sure you are familiar with the Office of Academic Integrity (OAI) and Office of Community Expectations (OCE). Policies for addressing prohibited discrimination, harassment, and retaliation are the purview of the The Office of Civil Rights Compliance (OCRC).
Thank you for carefully reading through the updated handbook and for striving to act with integrity as Trojans.
We look forward to meeting you in our community and academic spaces and wish you success during the fall semester.
Monique S. Allard,
Ed.D.Vice President for Student Life
Andrew McConnell Stott,
Ph.D.Vice Provost for Academic Programs, Dean of the Graduate School