University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
- Private nonprofit
- City
- 20,443 undergrads
- Admit rate
- 10%Source: College Scorecard
- Average net price
- $33,056per year, after grantsSource: College Scorecard
- Graduation rate
- 91%within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $103,42010 years after startingSource: College Scorecard
What's special
Incoming first-year students from U.S. families earning $80,000 a year or less, with typical assets, attend tuition-free.
Getting in
- Admit rate
- 10%About 1 in 10 applicants get in.Source: College Scorecard
- Test policy
- Test-optionalScores are considered if you send them, but not required.Source: College Scorecard
- SAT (middle 50%)
- 1450–1550Reading + math, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
- ACT (middle 50%)
- 32–35Composite, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
From University of Southern California's own report
These numbers come from the school's Common Data Set for 2024–25, a standard report colleges publish about their applicants and first-year students. Open the report.
78% had a 3.75 or higher. The average was 3.80. Schools count GPA differently (weighted or not), so compare ranges loosely.
- Admit rate in this report
- 10%8,050 admitted of 82,027 first-year applicants
- ACT, middle 50%
- 32–35First-years who sent scores
- Top 10% of their class
- 73%94% were in the top quarter.
What the admissions office says it weighs
Very important
- How challenging your classes were
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
Important
- Activities
- A talent or ability
- Character and personal qualities
Considered
- Being first in your family to go to college
- Family who went there (legacy)
- Volunteer work
- Work experience
Not considered
- Class rank
- Interview
- Where you live
- Living in the state
- Religious affiliation
- Showing interest in the school
Where you'd stand
Enter your numbers to see where they'd fall among University of Southern California's first-year students. This isn't a prediction: it shows how you compare with students who enrolled, using the sources linked below.
Leave out anything you don't have. Your numbers stay in this browser and fill in on other school pages. See my list
Sources: University of Southern California Common Data Set 2024–25; College Scorecard. Test ranges describe enrolled students who sent scores.
What it really costs
Most families pay less than the sticker price. Net price is what's left after grants and scholarships.
- Average net price
- $33,056full-time first-years who got grant aidSource: College Scorecard
- Total cost of attendance
- $95,048sticker price incl. housing, per yearSource: College Scorecard
- Tuition
- $75,162Source: College Scorecard
After you enroll
- Graduation rate
- 91%first-time, full-time students finishing within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Came back for year two
- 96%full-time first-year studentsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $103,42010 years after starting, for students who got federal aidSource: College Scorecard
- Median debt at graduation
- $17,000federal loans, students who finishedSource: College Scorecard
Students
- Undergraduates
- 20,443Source: College Scorecard
- Receive Pell grants
- 27%a sign of economic diversitySource: College Scorecard
- First-generation students
- 25%parents didn't go beyond high schoolSource: College Scorecard
Similar schools
Similar, and easier to get into
- Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA — admits 48%
- Chapman University Orange, CA — admits 65%
- California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA — admits 31%
- Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA — admits 45%
Also worth a look
- Cornell University Ithaca, NY — admits 9%
- Boston University Boston, MA — admits 11%
- New York University New York, NY — admits 9%
- Northwestern University Evanston, IL — admits 8%
- Georgetown University Washington, DC — admits 13%
- University of Miami Coral Gables, FL — admits 19%
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard page for University of Southern California, which draws on what the school reports to the federal government and on federal student aid and tax records. We last pulled the data on November 4, 2026. Different measures cover different years; here's how each one works.
Spot something wrong? Report a data error.