Sponsored Research Cost Transfers

1. Policy Issued: 11/4/2025 Last Revised:  NewLast Reviewed: New  ​​Applies to:​ Faculty (including part-time and visiting faculty), postdoctoral scholars, staff and students (including graduate/undergraduate student workers and graduate assistants) employed by University of Southern California and its subsidiaries including Keck Medicine of USC (“USC employees”).  This policy continues to apply to individuals on sabbatical, other leaves…

Effort Reporting

1. Policy Issued: 11/4/2025 Last Revised: NewLast Reviewed: New  ​​Applies to:​ Faculty (including part-time and visiting faculty), postdoctoral scholars, staff and students (including graduate/undergraduate student workers and graduate assistants) employed by University of Southern California and its subsidiaries including Keck Medicine of USC (“USC employees”).  This policy continues to apply to individuals on sabbatical, other leaves…

Research Compliance

1. Policy Issued: 11/12/2025 Last Revised:  New Last Reviewed: New  2. Policy Purpose The purpose of this policy is to ensure USC research is conducted with integrity, accountability, and in accordance with regulatory and institutional requirements through the establishment of a university policy framework to implement the standards and expectations contained in USC’s Guide to Research. 3.…

Disclosure of Other Support – Federal Sponsor Requirements

1. Policy Issued: October 8, 2025 Last Revised:  N/A Last Reviewed: N/A  Applies to: Faculty (including part-time and visiting faculty), postdoctoral scholars, staff and students (including graduate/undergraduate student workers and graduate assistants) employed by University of Southern California and its subsidiaries including Keck Medicine of USC (“USC employees”).  This policy continues to apply to individuals on sabbatical,…

Expenditures Supplemental Policy

Policy Purpose The purpose is to provide additional support to the university’s financial sustainability efforts, while still upholding our core academic mission. University schools and departments may adopt more restrictive policies, and such restrictions must be monitored through school and department level controls. Please download policy to access additional details. To access the institutional policies…

Digital Accessibility Policy

The university is dedicated to ensuring that all digital content, platforms, and technologies are accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. This policy establishes the standards and responsibilities for creating, maintaining, and procuring accessible digital products and services in alignment with WCAG 2.1 AA.

Travel Expenditures Supplemental Policy

Policy Purpose As outlined in the March 24, 2025, letter to the community, “Update on USC’s Financial Planning and Resilience Efforts,” USC is taking many steps to protect the financial sustainability of our academic mission. This policy outlines institutional expectations for business travel, conference attendance, and professional development activities in alignment with the university’s directive…

Professional Services Supplemental Policy

Policy Purpose This supplemental policy introduces new governance measures over the procurement and use of professional services at the University. The purpose is to ensure responsible fiscal management and reinforce the University’s commitment to protecting its financial sustainability and academic mission. Please download policy to access additional details. To access the institutional policies located behind…

Responding to Requests by Government Officials for Access to University Residences and Non-Public Areas of University Buildings and Premises

1. Policy Issued: January 15, 2025 Last Revised: January 15, 2025 Last Reviewed: January 15, 2025  Applies to:​ This Policy applies broadly to the entire University community, including students who are registered or enrolled in University classes or in one of the University’s degree or non-degree programs (“Students”); all full-time and part-time faculty (“Faculty”); all non-faculty University…

Responding to Immigration Enforcement Actions ​

1. Policy Issued: January 15, 2025 Last Revised: January 15, 2025 Last Reviewed: January 15, 2025  ​​Applies to:​ This Policy applies broadly to the entire University community, including students who are registered or enrolled in University classes or in one of the University’s degree or non-degree programs (“Students”); all full-time and part-time faculty (“Faculty”); all non-faculty University…

Prohibited Relationships with Students

Policy Purpose USC’s Mission Statement declares that our first priority as faculty and staff is the education of our students. The purpose of this policy is to safeguard the environment for students by avoiding intimate relationships between students and faculty or staff, without unduly infringing on the personal freedom and private lives of our students,…

Reproductive Loss Leave

USC employees who experience a reproductive loss will be provided time off to grieve.  

Roof Access

This policy seeks to reduce the inherent risks and dangers that building rooftops can present by limiting building rooftop access to Authorized Persons only.

Single-use Plastics Elimination – Beverage Bottles

The purpose of this university-wide policy is to eliminate Single-use Plastic Beverage Bottles from campus and medical enterprise operations. By shifting procurement practices, prioritizing reuse and increasing waste diversion and reduction measures, over the next few years, USC intends to transition away from all Single-Use Plastic Beverage Bottles on campus and reach its zero waste goals.

Gifts and Hospitality Policy

As USC Employees, we are accountable for evaluating the G&H that are given and received in accordance with this policy. USC employees must ensure that giving or receiving G&H does not improperly influence or appear to improperly influence an individual’s decision-making abilities.

Political Site Visit and Events

1. Policy Issued: February 15, 2022 Last Reviewed: November 13, 2025 Last Revised: November 13, 2025  Applies to: Faculty (including part-time, adjunct and visiting faculty), postdoctoral scholars, staff (including graduate/undergraduate student workers and graduate assistants) employed by University of Southern California (“USC“ or the “University“) and including those working for Keck Medicine of USC (“USC Employees”), students and…

Policy on Policies

All faculty, staff, students, and contractors involved in the development, approval, implementation, or maintenance of University Policies and related resources are expected to comply with this policy. This policy defines a University Policy, explains the relationship to related resources, and describes the key expectations, requirements, and methodology throughout the policy lifecycle, including development, maintenance, retirement, and archiving.

USC Integrity and Accountability Code

At the University of Southern California, ethical behavior is predicated on two main pillars: a commitment to discharging our obligations to others in a fair and honest manner, and a commitment to respecting the rights and dignity of all persons.

USC Collections Or Gifts-in-Kind Acquisitions

The USC Acquisitions Policy exists to ensure that all collections acquisitions or gifts-in-kind to the University are transferred to University ownership according to all applicable laws, regulations, University standards, and museum artifact and works-of-art professional organization best practices.

Collections Loans

The USC Collections Loans Policy exists to ensure that all collections, acquisitions artworks, artifacts, or manuscript materials are loaned or temporarily transferred to University ownership according to all applicable laws, regulations, University standards, and museum artifact and works-of-art and library and archives professional organization best practices.

Clery Policy

The requirements in this policy are designed to facilitate USC’s compliance with the “Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998,” (the “Clery Act”). The Clery Act requires USC to disclose specified crime report statistics on and near its campuses, to provide other safety and crime information to the campus community in an accurate, complete, and timely manner, and to maintain written policies and procedures implementing the Clery Act.

Event, Gatherings and Tailgate Fencing Policy

The university uses fencing of various heights to create a barrier or barricade to control the flow and capacity at an event. Fencing is also required when serving alcoholic beverages by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the latter of whom signs off on ABC service permits.

Athletics Student – Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Policy

The vision of USC is to have the most student-athlete centered athletics program in the nation. In alignment with that vision, we support the ability of our student-athletes to earn compensation from third parties for the use of their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”), consistent with this Policy and California’s Fair Pay to Play Act.

Scholarship and Grant Awards

This policy governs the administration of scholarships and grants at the University of Southern California (USC). USC provides scholarships and grants to students consistent with donor specifications on the basis of financial need, merit, or both.

Student Travel Abroad – Destination Restrictions and Crisis Management

As a global university, USC encourages students to gain international experience through a variety of programs, including study abroad, internships abroad, and international service trips.

Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation

USC’s Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation incorporates a University-wide approach to preventing and responding to discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected characteristics, retaliation, and specific forms of harassment based on sex: sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and related forms of conduct.

Research and Scholarship Misconduct

This policy applies to research and scholarship carried out at USC involving any faculty (including part-time, adjunct and visiting), staff, trainee or students regardless of funding source, if any.

The USC Student Handbook

The USC Student Handbook outlines the rights, responsibilities, and obligations you have as a student member of this community.

Research Personnel Protection

Safety is a core value at USC. The university is committed to advancement of an institutional safety culture, with strong programs of personal safety, accident and injury prevention, wellness promotion, and compliance with applicable environmental and health and safety laws and regulations.

Reimbursements

University community members incur various types of expenses as they perform tasks and duties that support the operations of the university and further its mission.

Acceptable Use

Please view policy to access additional details.

Travel Expenditures

The purpose of the policy is to ensure travel expenditures are reasonable, customary, and necessary to conduct official university business.