Quick Check
Three answers for a general outlook.
Aid and Loans
Needs confirmationChoose a scenario and add your timeline for a general aid and loan outlook.
Terms can flag a duration concern. They do not show how many awards were paid or whether you can borrow.
Explore One Program
STARS Report
We ask because your STARS report lists your entry term, catalog year, programs, and units earned, in progress, and still needed. To get it, open your STARS report, choose Print Report, and save it as a PDF.
STARS reading isn’t built yet. This file wasn’t opened or sent anywhere.
Finishing in four years doesn't make you eligible by itself, and adding a program doesn't extend any award. Each award runs on its own clock: merit on semesters, Pell on a lifetime percentage, Cal Grant on years, loans on the legacy window, and all federal aid on the 150% timeframe.
| Minor | Double Major | Dual Bachelor's | PDP (Progressive Master's) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Degree Timing | Must finish with the major, not after it; at least 16 units unique to the minor. | One degree and one diploma. USC advises finishing both majors in the same term. | At least 32 units beyond the first degree; two diplomas; may finish in different terms. | Apply after 64 units; the master's can't be awarded before the bachelor's; 12-semester limit. |
| Enrollment Status | Minor-only units beyond your elective room may not count toward 12. | Second-major courses count toward 12 while both majors are in progress. | Counts while pursuing both; once the first is done you're a second-bachelor's student. | Graduate courses count only if applied to the bachelor's; stay at 12 bachelor's units. |
| Costs | Units above 18 cost $2,539 each; an added term is a full semester. | Same: overloads above 18, or another semester. | 32+ more units is about another year of tuition. | Undergraduate flat rate until conferral or an RA/TA, then $2,539 per graduate unit. |
| Merit | No extra semesters: 8 total, full-time each term, 30 units a year. | No extra semesters for the second major. | Ends at the first conferral; no extra semesters. | Continues while the bachelor's is in progress (8 total), ends at conferral. After an RA/TA, ask USC. |
| USC Grants | No published semester cap, and none extended; a term beyond your packaged plan needs USC. | Stop once one major's requirements are done. | Stop once the first degree's requirements are done. | Undergraduate status only; none as a graduate student. |
| Pell and Cal Grant | Pell has a 600% lifetime limit. Cal Grant generally has four full-time-equivalent years; teaching credentials, five-year programs, and foster youth have exceptions. | End when the first set of degree requirements is complete. | End when the first bachelor's is complete. | Undergraduate status only. |
| SAP | Same 150% cap: 192 attempted units for a 128-unit degree. | Same 150% cap, no extra allowance. | Same 150% cap, no extra allowance. | Undergraduate SAP until the switch, then master's standards. |
| Borrowing | Same program, so legacy limits continue, but the window doesn't grow. | Same program; legacy window unchanged. | Same credential level; legacy window unchanged. | Graduate terms: $20,500 a year. Grad PLUS and legacy depend on how USC reports PDP. |
A master's you start after graduating is a new program. Undergraduate legacy doesn't carry into it: $20,500 a year, $100,000 total, no Grad PLUS. legacy.later-masters