Deposits Are Down at USC

It's difficult to be sure of trends on admissions yield at any college. Admitted applicants are individuals -- and they have different college options, different educational goals and different finances. Someone who might seem a sure thing to accept an admissions offer can land elsewhere.

But with that (large) caveat, numbers of deposits to the University of Southern California are down by more than 7 percent as of May 15, compared to May 15 last year.

USC applications have been going up (and continued to go up this year). And a spokeswoman noted that USC feels that it is on track for a successful year. When colleges experience increases in applications and yields, they typically may admit smaller numbers of applicants, to keep yield totals on target. That is the pattern visible from data below.

While USC has seen numerous scandals in recent years, the one on admissions was capturing attention (and making USC look bad) just at the time admitted applicants would have been making their decisions.

Here are data on recent years' application cycles. The year refers to the fall when people would enroll. The deposits figure is as of May 15 for all years.

USC Admissions Data