University of Southern California

University of Southern California is a private, nonprofit school in an urban setting in Los Angeles, California. USC was founded in 1880 and now enrolls around 46,107 students a year, including 19,606 undergrads. USC offers housing for up to 7,600 students. Most students live in off campus housing.

There are many ways for students to get involved at USC! Love music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of USC's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? USC students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Excited for Greek life? USC has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? USC has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at USC on the Student Life page.

Learn more about life at USC on the Student Life page.

Mark your calendar! The deadline to apply regular decision to USC for Fall 2022 is January 15.Regular decision applicants for Fall 2022 should hear from USC by April 1.

Is USC a Good School?

Different people have different ideas about what makes a "good" school. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how competitive an institution is, but they don't tell you how happy or successful students are. There are a few statistics that can give you a good idea of how satisfied students are and how well a school supports its students.

Let's take a closer look at all of these areas to get a clearer idea of what USC offers and if it could be a good choice for you.

2021 Acceptance Rate for University of Southern California

It is extremely difficult to get into USC. USC admitted 16% of all applicants in 2021. In 2021, just 9,618 out of the 59,712 students who applied were accepted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at USC

Retention is the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. This is a way to get a sense of how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

Out of all the first-year, full-time undergrads who start at USC, around 91% are still enrolled their sophomore year. USC's six-year graduation rate for undergrads is 92%. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.

Job Outcomes for USC Grads

Job placement rates after graduation and average starting salaries can all give important clues about the value of a degree from a specific school.

USC's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students. As of 2021, the total market value of the school endowment was $5.7 billion. The average college endowment was $905 million in 2021.

Tuition and Financial Aid at USC

Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need. USC meets 99.2% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend USC full-time are awarded $58,709 a year in financial aid, on average.

In 2020, students graduated with an average of $26,850 in student loans for each student with debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2022-2023 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2021

Some aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA asap. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at USC. Based on this information, how does USC sound? Remember, a school that is perfect for one person may not be the right school for another! So ask yourself: Is USC a good school for you?

If University of Southern California seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Exploring Schools?

Choose one of the options below to learn more about USC:

Admissions

Student Life

Academics

Tuition & Aid

USC Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to take a data science look at your chances of getting accepted at some of the colleges and universities in the U.S.

Where is USC?

USC is located in the urban setting of Los Angeles, California.

If you want to see USC for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take Harbor Freeway to Los Angeles, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Los Angeles International.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what USC and Los Angeles are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges and Universities in California?

See a full list of colleges in California and save your favorites to your college list.