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A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A+
  2. Value
    A+
  3. Diversity
    A+
  4. Campus
    A
  5. Athletics
    A+
  6. Party Scene
    A+
  7. Professors
    A+
  8. Location
    B+
  9. Dorms
    B+
  10. Campus Food
    A-
  11. Student Life
    A+
  12. Safety
    B
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University of Southern California is ...
Private not-for-profit
Athletic Division
NCAA Division I-FBS
Athletic Conference
Pacific-12 Conference
Address
University Park
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Website
usc.edu

University of Southern California Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

Admissions

Acceptance Rate
17%
Application Deadline
January 15
SAT Range
1280-1500
ACT Range
30-33
Application Fee
$80
SAT/ACT
Required
High School GPA
Required
Early Decision/Early Action
No
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Cost

Net Price
$32,932/ year
National
$15,523
Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Net Price by Household Income
  • <$30k
    $16,002/ year
  • $30-48k
    $16,941/ year
  • $49-75k
    $21,751/ year
  • $76-110k
    $31,583/ year
  • $110k+
    $51,147/ year
Student Loan Options from Lenders
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  • 1% Cash Back + affordable rates starting at 3.82% APR w/auto debit discount
  • No application, origination or disbursement fees

Academics

Professors
A+
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
9:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
83%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.248 responses
69%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.253 responses
55%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.252 responses

Majors

Most Popular Majors
  • Business Administration and Management
    1,023 Graduates
  • Communications
    263 Graduates
  • Biology
    261 Graduates
  • Accounting
    217 Graduates
  • International Relations and National Security Studies
    205 Graduates
  • Economics
    183 Graduates
  • Computer Science
    174 Graduates
  • Psychology
    168 Graduates
  • Urban, Community and Regional Planning
    132 Graduates
  • Computational and Applied Mathematics
    131 Graduates

Students

Full-Time Enrollment
18,195Undergrads
Undergrads Over 25
3%
Pell Grant
17%
Varsity Athletes
3%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
Based on 156 responses
Report
  • Busy, active, studies, and parties
    43%
  • Busy and active
    18%
  • Diverse
    10%
  • Studies & parties
    8%
  • Work hard, play hard, fight on hard
    8%
  • Work Hard Play Hard Mentality
    6%
  • All the above
    3%

Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus
81%
Poll
67%
of students say that Greek life is pretty big.300 responses
Poll
60%
of students say varsity sports are a big part of campus life.344 responses
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes your school?
Based on 184 responses
Report
  • High quality & Social
    33%
  • Diverse
    21%
  • The key to my future
    11%
  • Perfect
    10%
  • An experience with people to never be forgetten.
    9%
  • Snobby
    3%
  • Pre-Professional
    3%

After College

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$70,400/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
92%
National
49%
Employed 2 Years After Graduation
93%
National
83%
85%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.161 responses
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University of Southern California Reviews

3,465 reviews
All Categories
USC has garnered a rather bad reputation over the years- it’s a party school, the students are spoiled, the campus is unsafe. However, everything I have experienced there contradicts this reputation.
The school is large enough that you can find a community that suits you. If you don’t want to party, you’ll find plenty of people that share that sentiment.

Additionally, though some of the students are undoubtedly spoiled, the majority of them are hardworking and down to earth. Since USC is pretty generous with financial aid, many students don’t come from rich families.

Finally, although the surrounding area can be sketchy at times, I have never felt unsafe on USC campus. USC has a very competent security team that is dedicated to student safety.

If you’re thinking about USC, don’t let the reputation offput you. It’s an amazing place filled with amazing people, and if you decide to go, you won’t regret it. Fight on!
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My enrollment advisor, Mr. Petronus Williams was invaluable in the process of touting all of the benefits of choosing the University of California as my destination of choice for my Masters degree. We discussed the high academic caliber of professors along with the school's stellar reputation. Of most importance was our discussion of my eventual standing in the world of Gerontology after graduation which clinched the deal for me. The fact that the classes were online did not discourage me because more work is required in online courses. I'm not afraid of hard work and my 3.68 GPA is proof of that. I am looking forward to the start of class and more learning ALL I can in the field of Gerontology. Onward and upward at USC thanks to Mr. Williams. I salute you!
Great professors and school spirit, and overall the academics are quite strong. Their career fairs are also impressive! I chose to transfer from USC because the student culture wasn't what I had hoped. Unfortunately the "University of Spoiled Children" stereotype felt far too real. Also, I definitely felt like I needed to be part of the Greek system to secure housing for sophomore year, as there aren't great housing options overall. I will forever root for the Trojans, and could have stayed, however I found a much better overall fit at UCSB.