# University of Southern California (USC)

Private nonprofit college in Los Angeles, CA. IPEDS ID 123961.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-southern-california · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/university-of-southern-california.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 10% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $32,740 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 92%; beats 92% of CA colleges and 97% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $92,498; beats 93% of CA colleges and 97% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $16,112

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $13,516 |
| 30-48k | $14,394 |
| 48-75k | $19,539 |
| 75-110k | $24,976 |
| 110k+ | $56,116 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $90,300
- Tuition and fees: $72,097
- Housing and meals: $19,198; books: $1,200

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 710–760; SAT math: 740–790; ACT: 32–35 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 80,808 applicants, 8,094 admitted, 3,633 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 10%, ACT 32–35 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 10%, ACT 32–35 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (89 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $137,284 | $192,897 | $20,178 |
| Computer Engineering | not reported | $166,369 | $9,500 |
| Real Estate | $98,763 | $143,977 | $19,500 |
| Electrical Engineering | $89,684 | $131,532 | $20,500 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering | $78,980 | $125,514 | $21,140 |
| Accounting | $73,903 | $121,101 | $16,500 |
| Software and Media Applications | $103,071 | $115,839 | $23,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | $87,807 | $112,150 | $18,250 |
| Business Administration | $71,668 | $109,128 | $17,375 |
| Real Estate Development | $49,353 | $107,292 | $17,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $85,262 | $106,308 | $8,125 |
| City / Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | not reported | $106,094 | not reported |
| Biomedical Engineering | $80,508 | $105,415 | $14,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $83,356 | $104,649 | $17,500 |
| Applied Mathematics | $71,622 | $101,094 | $12,251 |
| Chemical Engineering | $68,234 | $100,646 | $13,000 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | $73,234 | $96,120 | $19,250 |
| Economics | $57,060 | $94,435 | $14,000 |
| Cognitive Science | $34,295 | $93,440 | $19,669 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | $69,479 | $91,726 | $31,250 |
| Public Health | $36,300 | $89,522 | $15,250 |
| Neuroscience | $38,063 | $89,203 | $15,750 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $64,846 | $89,022 | $18,262 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $50,041 | $87,946 | $20,251 |
| International Relations | $52,262 | $84,866 | $13,765 |
| History | $36,876 | $79,940 | $12,638 |
| Journalism | $44,651 | $79,776 | $16,250 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | $47,874 | $78,741 | $30,625 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | $78,731 | $10,160 |
| Communications | $47,651 | $75,864 | $17,702 |
| Political Science | $38,063 | $75,090 | $12,869 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $52,403 | $74,511 | $18,000 |
| Studio Art | $50,161 | $72,428 | $21,125 |
| Sociology | $35,580 | $70,555 | $10,324 |
| Psychology | $34,139 | $70,461 | $14,000 |
| Human Biology | $23,405 | $69,751 | $14,500 |
| Mathematics | not reported | $69,377 | $2,750 |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | $64,421 | not reported |
| Arts and Entertainment Management | $26,975 | $63,353 | $21,250 |
| Biology | $20,210 | $63,125 | $5,500 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | $59,455 | $20,000 |
| English | not reported | $59,345 | $7,875 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | $59,088 | $20,380 |
| Film and Photography | $34,187 | $58,623 | $21,687 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | $58,462 | $3,250 |
| Biochemistry | $34,468 | $57,246 | $3,750 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | $55,208 | $21,500 |
| Chemistry | not reported | $54,966 | not reported |
| Philosophy | $38,380 | $51,831 | $11,491 |
| Social Sciences | $33,789 | $42,038 | not reported |
| Writing | $26,636 | $41,637 | $19,500 |
| Theatre | $21,473 | $40,415 | $12,000 |
| Music | $12,947 | $34,124 | $20,976 |
| Architecture | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | $2,750 |
| Environmental Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biotechnology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Gerontology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International / Global Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physical Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | $7,500 |
| Security / Homeland Security | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Archeology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Urban Studies / Affairs | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Air Transportation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | $25,653 | not reported | $15,875 |
| Health Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Nursing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $104,930 (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA), $101,460 (CA), $101,860 (U.S.)
- Communications → Public relations specialist: median wage $79,860 (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA), $85,030 (CA), $74,750 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).