More selective than 95% of California colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $90,300. College Scorecard.
Higher than 92% of California colleges we cover and 97% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 93% of California colleges we cover and 97% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
USC acceptance rate & admissions
Of 80,808 applicants, University of Southern California admitted 8,094 and 3,633 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1450–1550 on the SAT or 32–35 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
USC tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: California residents who meet income, asset and GPA standards may receive a Cal Grant (California Student Aid Commission); apply with the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application. Not included in the prices above. California Student Aid Commission
USC majors, earnings & careers
University of Southern California offers 89 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 18
- Engineering · 16
- Humanities & Languages · 16
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 11
- Arts & Design · 8
- Business & Finance · 6
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Communications & Media · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Education · 1
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at USC
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $192,897 | $20,178 |
| Computer Engineering | $166,369 | $9,500 |
| Real Estate | $143,977 | $19,500 |
| Electrical Engineering | $131,532 | $20,500 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering | $125,514 | $21,140 |
| Accounting | $121,101 | $16,500 |
| Software and Media Applications | $115,839 | $23,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | $112,150 | $18,250 |
Quick list of all 89 majors
- Accounting$121,101
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering$125,514
- Air Transportation—
- Anthropology—
- Applied Mathematics$101,094
- Archeology—
- Architectural Sciences and Technology$78,741
- Architecture—
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management$63,353
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Biochemistry$57,246
- Biology$63,125
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology—
- Biomedical Engineering$105,415
- Biotechnology—
- Business Administration$109,128
- Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences—
- Chemical Engineering$100,646
- Chemistry$54,966
- City / Urban, Community, and Regional Planning$106,094
- Civil Engineering$106,308
- Classics—
- Cognitive Science$93,440
- Communications$75,864
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Engineering$166,369
- Computer Science$192,897
- Dance—
- Dental Support Services and Allied Professions$91,726
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)$64,421
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics$94,435
- Education—
- Electrical and Computer Engineering—
- Electrical Engineering$131,532
- Engineering—
- Engineering-Related Fields$96,120
- English$59,345
- Environmental Engineering—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$78,731
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$55,208
- Film and Photography$58,623
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- Gerontology—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$89,022
- Health Sciences—
- History$79,940
- Human Biology$69,751
- Industrial Engineering$112,150
- International / Global Studies—
- International Business—
- International Relations$84,866
- Journalism$79,776
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$58,462
- Linguistics—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Mathematics$69,377
- Mechanical Engineering$104,649
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$59,455
- Music$34,124
- Neuroscience$89,203
- Nursing—
- Pharmacology and Toxicology—
- Philosophy$51,831
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics—
- Political Science$75,090
- Psychology$70,461
- Public Health$89,522
- Public Policy Analysis$74,511
- Public Relations and Advertising$87,946
- Real Estate$143,977
- Real Estate Development$107,292
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Religious Studies—
- Security / Homeland Security—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Sciences$42,038
- Sociology$70,555
- Software and Media Applications$115,839
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$59,088
- Studio Art$72,428
- Theatre$40,415
- Urban Studies / Affairs—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
- Writing$41,637
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Los Angeles
Overall prices in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,964. Housing costs 70% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 14 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); wildfire (very high); river flooding (very high); coastal flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Los Angeles County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Los Angeles County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare USC with similar schools
Similar private colleges in California by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California | 10% | $32,740 | 92% | $92,498 | This school |
| Stanford University | 4% | $13,807 | 92% | $124,080 | |
| Claremont McKenna College | 10% | $28,849 | 91% | $104,736 | |
| Pomona College | 7% | $19,285 | 93% | $77,779 | |
| Harvey Mudd College | 13% | $35,924 | 92% | $138,687 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
University of Southern California would cost you $18,933 more per year than Stanford University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at University of Southern California, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$6,187).
- Stanford University gives aided families $16,466 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, California resident | USC | Stanford University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $72,097 | $65,910 | +$6,187 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $825 | +$375 |
| Housing & meals | $19,198 | $19,922 | −$724 |
| Personal & travel | $1,818 | $4,602 | −$2,784 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$4,013 | −$3,426 | −$587 |
| Sticker price | $90,300 | $87,833 | +$2,467 |
| Average grants | −$57,560 | −$74,026 | +$16,466 |
| You pay | $32,740 | $13,807 | +$18,933 |
“+” means USC costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about USC
What is the USC acceptance rate?
University of Southern California accepts 10% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 8,094 of 80,808 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1450–1550 on the SAT or 32–35 on the ACT.
How much does University of Southern California cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $90,300 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $32,740 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $13,516 and families earning $110k+ pay $56,116.
How much do USC graduates earn?
Former University of Southern California students earn a median $92,498 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the USC graduation rate?
92% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 96% return for their second year.
Is USC the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing USC with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “University of Southern California: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-southern-california (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).