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Prospective Students

Prior students have come from a variety of backgrounds, including neuroscience, biology, psychology, medicine, computer science, mathematics, and other sciences. There are no formal prerequisites for the NIIN program and students will be exposed to all that they will need to know to complete the coursework within our classes. However, students who have a strong background in science and some experience with computer programming and statistics may have an easier time with the course material.

Dates and Deadlines

USC Full Academic Calendar

Upcoming

Virtual Information Session - February 25, 2025; 4 pm PST

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Applications open for Fall 2025 - September 1, 2024
Virtual Information Session February 25, 2025; 4 pm PST

Application Deadlines

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Early Action NIIN Application Deadline – December 1, 2024


If you would like an admissions decision by early January, you may apply by our early action deadline. Applying under early action is non-binding (i.e., applying under early action does not obligate accepted applicants to join our program). We ask applicants accepted under early action to respond to our admissions offer by April 1. Applying under early action may allow accepted students to meet more external scholarship deadlines.

NIIN Application Deadline for Scholarship Eligibility & International Students – April 1, 2025


If you would like to automatically be considered for merit scholarships offered by the NIIN program and Keck School of Medicine, you must apply to our program by this date. Please see the Tuition and Financial Aid section below for more information including about eligibility for our scholarships. We must have received a copy of all of your transcripts by April 1 - submitted with your application. Official copies of all of your transcripts must also be submitted to USC and recorded by our Office of Graduate Admissions by April 15 for you to be considered for these scholarships.

Because of the extra time required to process international applications and for the students to obtain student visas, all applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents are encouraged to apply by this date. This will help to ensure that accepted students’ visas are in place before the start of the school year.

Final NIIN Application Deadline – May 1, 2025


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Admissions

Admissions Criteria
Applicants are required to have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. They should have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and should show evidence supporting their likely success in classes requiring quantitative ability.
Program Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites for the NIIN program. However, students who have a strong background in science and some experience with computer programming and statistics may have an easier time with the course material. Previous students have held a variety of undergraduate majors, including neuroscience, biology, psychology, medicine, computer science, mathematics, and other sciences.
Required Admission Materials

Transcripts
Applicants must provide official transcripts from each accredited college or university they attended, regardless of whether they earned a degree from that institution. This includes transfer credits, baccalaureate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate work.

International students who have earned their undergraduate degree outside the United States may have additional transcript requirements.

For information on submitting official transcripts or on international students’ transcript requirements, please see USC’s Graduate Admissions guidance here

Official GRE Scores
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are no longer an admissions requirement for our program.

Letters of Recommendation
A minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation from academic or professional referees are required. At least one letter must be academic.

All letters of recommendation must be:
  • Sent from an academic or professional email address.
  • Signed by the person providing the recommendation
  • Submitted on academic or professional letterhead
    • The three required letters of recommendation should be uploaded to the USC application portal. Additional letters beyond the three required may be emailed to niin@ini.usc.edu, with the subject line: Letter of Recommendation – YourName (e.g., “Letter of Recommendation - Tommy Trojan”).

    Statement of Purpose
    A statement of purpose of approximately 2-3 pages should address each of the following four questions:
    1. What has made you interested in learning about neuroimaging and/or informatics?
    2. What evidence can you provide that you are likely to succeed academically in a program that requires scientific aptitude and technical skills?
    3. What is your 5-year goal after completing our program, and how will our program help you to meet that goal?
    4. What are your long-term goals and how will being part of our program help you to make a positive impact?

    Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume
    All applicants must submit a curriculum vitae or resume with their applications.

    International Student English Proficiency Requirements
    International students whose native language is not English and who have not completed their undergraduate schooling in its entirety within the United States or an Anglophone country must have taken the TOEFL or IELTS exam within two years of the August 1 in which they would begin our program, if accepted.

    For more information on these requirements please see guidance from USC’s graduate admissions here

    Records of TOEFL/IELTS scores are purged after two years. Please visit the Educational Testing Service online for TOEFL exam information.

    Please refer to the USC International Academy website if you would like language training to prepare for the program.

    For questions regarding visa applications please contact: https://ois.usc.edu/

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    Tuition and Financial Aid

    Please refer to USC’s Tuition and Fees page for details about graduate student tuition. Rates may change by academic year. For funding opportunities, please refer to the Awards and Fellowships Database and the Funding Opportunities for Master's Students pages. Our year-long program is 26 credits.


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    Scholarships offered through the NIIN Program

    Dean’s Scholarships offered by the Keck School of Medicine - $30,000


    Eligibility
    Applicants who plan to attend our program full time, who are not part of the progressive degree program, and who submit their NIIN applications by April 1 are eligible to be considered for this scholarship. No additional application is required.

    Selection Criteria
    Merit scholarship based on strong relevant academic background and achievements, demonstrated leadership ability and service to the community.

    NIIN Scholarships - $2,000 each


    Scholarships available
    USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Scholarship
    Ghada Irani Chair Scholarship

    Eligibility
    Applicants who plan to attend our program full time, who are not part of the Progressive Degree Program or International Academy, and who submit their NIIN applications by April 1 are eligible to be considered for these scholarships. No additional application is required.

    Selection Criteria
    Merit scholarships based on strong relevant academic background and achievements and overall application quality.

    Progressive Degree Option

    If you are junior or senior at USC, have at least a 3.0-grade point average in USC classes, and have already completed at least 64 total units of undergraduate course work, you may qualify for our progressive degree option. This option enables high-performing USC undergraduates to work toward a master’s degree while still completing requirements for a bachelor’s degree. As a progressive degree applicant, you can apply for our program without submitting GRE or MCAT scores. Further details and the progressive degree application can be found here. Our program-specific instructions for applying can be found here.

    Progressive degree applicants should submit the following to niin@ini.usc.edu with the subject line: Progressive Degree Application – YourName (e.g., “Progressive Degree Application - Tommy Trojan”):

  • Application form

  • STARS report showing at least a 3.0 GPA from classes taken at USC

  • Two letters of recommendation sent directly from USC faculty academic email accounts with the subject line: Progressive Degree Letter of Recommendation – YourName (e.g., “Progressive Degree Letter of Recommendation - Tommy Trojan”)

  • CV or resume

  • Statement of purpose that answers the questions outlined above under “Admissions”

  • Proposed course plan - Progressive degree students accepted to the NIIN program may complete all of their undergraduate classes before beginning their NIIN classes. Alternatively, they may take up to 6 credits of NIIN classes before they have completed their undergraduate classes. To create your proposed course plan, please follow the instructions found here. Please contact us at niin@ini.usc.edu if you have questions after reading this document.

    • Part-Time Students

    NIIN Degree Students
    Students accepted into the NIIN degree program may choose to complete the one-year program over multiple years. If you are interested in taking our program part time, please contact us at niin@ini.usc.edu to discuss your options with the NIIN Program Director before applying. The subject line of the email should read: Part-time student – YourName (e.g., “Part-time student – Tommy Trojan.”)

    Non-NIIN Degree Students
    Only USC affiliates (students, post-doctoral scholars, faculty, and staff) may take our classes without being accepted to the NIIN degree program.

  • To request to audit or take one of our classes for credit, you must first receive written permission from the class instructor(s). Please email the instructors your request, along with a copy of your CV and a brief indication of why you would like to take the class. Instructor email addresses can be found here. If you have not yet begun a graduate degree in a related field you should also include a copy of your undergraduate transcripts.

  • Individuals who are at USC but are not students (limited enrollment status – see below) and USC students who are in a program other than NIIN may petition to take up to 12 credits of our classes.

  • USC students from other programs who have received instructor permission to take a NIIN class should fill out a petition form and send it, along with your CV and written instructor permission, to niin@ini.usc.edu with the subject line: Petition to take a NIIN Class – YourName (e.g., “Petition to take a NIIN class - Tommy Trojan”). The request must then be approved by the NIIN Program Director.

  • USC Postdoctoral scholars who are interested in taking our classes should investigate USC’s postdoctoral tuition remission benefits here.

  • USC faculty and staff who are not in a current degree program and who wish to take a limited number of courses at USC without formally applying for admission to the university can apply for limited status enrollment. For more information about eligibility and fees related to limited status enrollment, please see the Office of Academic Records and Registrar website. Follow the instructions on the Limited Status Registration form for choosing the “audit” grade option.

  • Auditors pay the regular tuition rate. Auditors are not required to participate in class exercises (discussions and examinations); they receive no grades or credit and there is no transcript notation of courses taken for audit.

  • Deadline to petition to audit: 7 days prior to the start of classes for the semester, or the nearest working day to that date.