University of Southern California Overview
Located in Los Angeles, California, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life.
What Is University of Southern California Known For?
- Students at USC may have an easier time interacting with their teachers since the student to faculty ratio at the school is 9 to 1.
- The student loan default rate at USC is 1%, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 10.1%. That's great news for students who are worrying about paying off their student loans.
- Although it may not be available for every major, the doctor's degree is the highest award a student can attain at USC.
- In 2017-2018, 62% of the faculty were full-time.
- A student who earns a bachelor's degree from USC makes roughly $74,000 a year. This is 81% more than their peers from other colleges and universities.
- The average USC student graduates in 4.2 years. That's better than the national average of 4.4 years.
Featured schools near , edit

University of Southern California Rankings
USC landed the #80 spot in our 2022 ranking of best colleges. We analyzed 2,587 colleges and universities across the nation to determine this ranking. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation. Out of the 204 colleges in California, it is ranked at #12.
Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.
USC has also been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.
Rank | Ranking Name | Share |
---|---|---|
#37 | Best Graduate Certificate Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#48 | Best Doctor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#57 | Best Master’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#65 | Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at USC.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards USC has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#3 | Best Nursing Schools | Nursing Degree Search |
#10 | Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools | College Factual |
#13 | Best Education Schools | College Factual |
#13 | Best Communication & Journalism Schools | College Factual |
#24 | Best Health Professions Schools | College Factual |
#25 | Best Business, Management & Marketing Schools | College Factual |
Where Is University of Southern California?

Contact details for USC are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089 |
Phone: | 213-740-2311 |
Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/usc |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/usc |
How Do I Get Into USC?
You can apply to USC online at: https://www.commonapp.org/
Admission Requirements for USC
Submission | Required? |
---|---|
High School GPA | required |
High School Rank | neither required nor recommended |
High School Transcript | required |
College Prep Program | required |
Recommendations | required |
SAT or ACT Scores | required |
TOEFL | required |
How Hard Is It To Get Into USC?
Approximately 48% of accepted students are men and 52% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 17%, and the acceptance rate for women is 16%.
Average Test Scores
About 66% of students accepted to USC submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 660 and 740. Math scores were between 680 and 790.
Can I Afford University of Southern California?
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.
Student Loan Debt
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At USC, approximately 28% of students took out student loans averaging $7,798 a year. That adds up to $31,192 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at USC is 1.2%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
University of Southern California Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 26,501 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 18,560 full-time undergraduates at USC, 48% are male and 52% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of University of Southern California students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 4,369 |
Black or African American | 960 |
Hispanic or Latino | 3,095 |
White | 6,370 |
International Students | 2,245 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 1,521 |
Geographic Diversity
California students aren't the only ones who study at University of Southern California. At this time, all 50 states are represented by the student population at the school.
At this time, 50 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 130 countries are represented at USC. The most popular countries sending students to the school are China, India, and South Korea.
Online Learning at University of Southern California
The following chart shows how the online learning population at USC has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 2nd most popular in California for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.
Online Affordability Rankings of USC
The following table shows how USC is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Urban Studies | #1 | #1 |
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences | #1 | #1 |
Petroleum Engineering | #4 | #4 |
Operations Research | #13 | #13 |
Computer Software & Applications | #19 | #19 |
Other Health Professions | #19 | #19 |
Geography & Cartography | #24 | #24 |
Biomedical Engineering | #25 | #25 |
Materials Engineering | #25 | #25 |
Construction Management | #25 | #25 |
Chemical Engineering | #28 | #28 |
Educational Assessment | #28 | #28 |
Taxation | #34 | #34 |
Gerontology | #40 | #40 |
Other Engineering | #53 | #53 |
Legal Professions | #58 | #58 |
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | #67 | #67 |
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | #70 | #70 |
Industrial Engineering | #72 | #72 |
Systems Engineering | #73 | #73 |
Online Affordability Rankings of USC Rankings
The following table shows how USC is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Gerontology | #7 | #7 |
Educational Assessment | #13 | #13 |
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | #28 | #28 |
Online Growth Rankings of USC
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at University of Southern California was 122.9%. This is the #372 largest growth rate of all schools that are mostly online. This refers to all students at USC regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of USC majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
Major | 1-Year Growth Rate |
---|---|
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences | 6% |
Business, Management & Marketing | 7% |
Educational Assessment | 24% |
Health Professions | 6% |
Human Resource Management | 53% |
Legal Professions | 8% |
Legal Research | 19% |
Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies | 2% |
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | 49% |
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at USC ranks compared to all other mostly online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at USC.
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
University of Southern California Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Image Credit: By Original uploader was Padsquad19 at en.wikipedia under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |