The Discovery Scholar distinction is intended to recognize and celebrate USC undergraduates who have excelled academically and demonstrated a strong track record of research or creative work. This honor is awarded to students who have not only made a meaningful contribution to their field of study through exceptional new scholarship or artistic work, but who also show significant promise for future research or creative endeavors. Review all requirements on the Academic Honors and Fellowships website before starting the application.
Who Should Apply: seniors graduating December 2025, May 2026, and August 2026 (graduation defined by baccalaureate degree completion, not by participation in Commencement, or, walking).
DISTINCTION & PRIZE COMPETITION
Applicants who wish to be considered for the Discovery Scholars Distinction & Prize Competition must submit this form and all supplemental materials by the final deadline. Only complete applications that include a letter of recommendation and are submitted by the deadline will be forwarded to school committees for consideration.
ELIGIBILITY
- graduate with a minimum of 3.5 overall GPA (with University Honors)
- graduate within 5 years of entering USC
- meet criteria for distinction set by the appropriate USC School
APPLICATION COMPONENTS
The application consists of: demonstration of a capstone or final project based on discipline-specific criteria, letter of recommendation, and resume/C.V.
Visit the Academic Honors & Fellowships website for complete details on application requirements.
If you are applying for the Global and Discovery Scholar distinction, you must submit a completely different project for each application to earn both distinctions and/or prize nominations. If you submit the same project for Discovery and Global, your school will certify you for just one of the distinctions based on which program criteria (if any) best fits your submitted work. In addition, you may be considered for each distinction’s Prize Competition; however, no student can be awarded more than one prize.
General Questions?
Contact Academic Honors and Fellowships
ahfstaff@usc.edu
Discovery Scholar Distinction and Prize Competition
The Discovery Scholar distinction is intended to recognize and celebrate USC undergraduates who have excelled academically and demonstrated a strong track record of research or creative work. This honor is awarded to students who have not only made a meaningful contribution to their field of study through exceptional new scholarship or artistic work, but who also show significant promise for future research or creative endeavors. Review all requirements on the Academic Honors and Fellowships website before starting the application.
Who Should Apply: seniors graduating December 2025, May 2026, and August 2026 (graduation defined by baccalaureate degree completion, not by participation in Commencement, or, walking).
DISTINCTION & PRIZE COMPETITION
Applicants who wish to be considered for the Discovery Scholars Distinction & Prize Competition must submit this form and all supplemental materials by the final deadline. Only complete applications that include a letter of recommendation and are submitted by the deadline will be forwarded to school committees for consideration.
ELIGIBILITY
- graduate with a minimum of 3.5 overall GPA (with University Honors)
- graduate within 5 years of entering USC
- meet criteria for distinction set by the appropriate USC School
APPLICATION COMPONENTS
The application consists of: demonstration of a capstone or final project based on discipline-specific criteria, letter of recommendation, and resume/C.V.
Visit the Academic Honors & Fellowships website for complete details on application requirements.
If you are applying for the Global and Discovery Scholar distinction, you must submit a completely different project for each application to earn both distinctions and/or prize nominations. If you submit the same project for Discovery and Global, your school will certify you for just one of the distinctions based on which program criteria (if any) best fits your submitted work. In addition, you may be considered for each distinction’s Prize Competition; however, no student can be awarded more than one prize.
General Questions?
Contact Academic Honors and Fellowships
ahfstaff@usc.edu