College profile
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit · Large city · 80,808 applicants 2023
A parent's read
- Top feeder high schools: Orange County School of the Arts (23), Mira Costa High School (17), Palo Alto Senior High School (11), Crossroads School (9), California School of the Arts — San Gabriel Valley (9). Graduates per class year, from each high school's own published list. 216 high schools' lists name University of Southern California; every one is ranked below.
- The major moves the money more than the admit letter. Computer Science grads from here earn about $192,897 four years out; music grads about $34,124 — a 5.7× spread on the same diploma. Have the major conversation before you deposit, not after.
- Built for the AI economy. Top 17 in the country. About 1 in 9 degrees here is already in AI, computer science, or data fields; it offers a dedicated AI major; its AI research output ranks #17 among US universities. This campus is leaning into the shift, not waiting for it.
- There is merit money here, but you compete for it. Every named award at this college is competitive — the published GPA and score figures describe who tends to win them, not a bar that guarantees anything. Worth applying for; not worth counting on when you budget.
- "Test-optional" isn't neutral here. This college admits applicants who submit scores at roughly 1.9× the rate of those who don't — computed from its own published applicant data. Decide the submit question deliberately, not by default.
Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.
Feeder high schools
Which high schools send graduates to University of Southern California?
The high schools sending the most graduates per class year to University of Southern California, from each school's own published list: Orange County School of the Arts (23), Mira Costa High School (17), Palo Alto Senior High School (11), Crossroads School (9), California School of the Arts — San Gabriel Valley (9). 216 high schools' lists name University of Southern California.
Enrolled — from the schools' matriculation lists
All 216 schools, with the class years each list covers
Published, but not ranked — these schools name University of Southern California on a list of where their graduates enrolled whose class years we cannot read ("Since 2023", or no class year printed), so their totals are shown rather than divided: Yorba Linda High School (4, not stated); The Lovett School (1, List as of 5/1/2026 (no class year printed on the list itself; page 2 header reads "College Acceptance and Matriculation" and links this file as the "Class of 2026 matriculation list")).
How this is counted
216 high schools publish a numbered matriculation list — where their graduates actually enrolled, counted, in the school's own School Profile — and name University of Southern California on it. Between them they printed 1157 enrolled graduates. Ranked by graduates per class year enrolling at University of Southern California, from each school's own published list: the number that school printed, divided by the class years its list covers. The published total and the school's own years label are shown beside every school, so a one-year list and a five-year list can sit on the same page. A list whose class years we cannot read is not divided by a guess — it is listed below with its total instead.
Is my high school on this list?
Admitted — from the schools' acceptance lists
All 26 schools, with the class years each list covers
How this is counted
26 high schools publish a numbered list of college acceptances — where their graduates were admitted, not where they enrolled — and name University of Southern California on it. Between them they printed 257 admissions. Ranked by admissions per class year to University of Southern California, from each school's own published acceptances list: the number that school printed, divided by the class years its list covers. Admits are counted at each college a student was admitted to, the same way the UC Reach Score counts a student admitted to three UC campuses three times — so this is a count of admissions, not of students. The published total and the school's own years label are shown beside every school, and a list whose class years we cannot read is listed below with its total rather than divided by a guess.
All 235 feeder schools, ranked →
Counted from each school's own published document, linked on that school's page. A high school that is not here does not publish a numbered list we could read — that is all absence means, and it says nothing about its graduates. Where a school publishes both, the two lists are shown separately: an acceptances list is not a list of enrollments, and the two are never added together.
Parent/student verdict
Highly selectiveHighly selective reach for nearly every applicant.
Best for
- Strong academic profiles — students here cluster in the top test and GPA tiers (bands above)
- Strong test/GPA students chasing merit aid — Trustee Scholarship or Stamps Leadership Scholarship on offer (see merit-scholarship tab below)
- Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Visual & Performing Arts (the two biggest majors)
- Research-oriented students (R1 — top tier of federal research funding)
- A long-term payoff that holds even at full price — ten years at the $92,498 median runs about $563K ahead of four years at the ~$90,300/yr sticker (aid recipients average ~$32,740/yr)
The reality
- You'd be near the bottom of their enrolled class if: SAT below 1440, or ACT below 32, or unweighted GPA below 3.79 (where the school's own enrolled first-years landed)
- With selective universities, build a balanced college list of Reaches, Targets, and Safeties ⓘ
- High cost — full price is ~$90,300/yr without aid, and aid-receiving families still average ~$32,740/yr — verify the major's earnings track record before committing
Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price with aid and at full price, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.
What are your child's odds here?
Enter their numbers once — this and every college page shows their verdict, and the UC campus cards on California school pages light up with it too. Free, no email.
Weighted is the higher GPA, with honors/AP credit in it — pick whichever your school reports. PSAT scores work in the SAT box.
Institutional snapshot
What kind of college is this?
32% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score, 14% an ACT — these ranges describe students who submitted, not the whole class.
Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.
High-school GPA
3.85 · 3.79–4.00 middle 50%The middle half landed in this range — a quarter are below the low end and a quarter above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection. avg unweightedGPA on the plain 4.0 scale, no honors/AP bonus. When a college publishes an "average admitted GPA of 3.9," it's often this scale — don't compare it to a weighted 4.3. GPA, enrolled first-years
unweighted 4.0 scale. Audit 2026-10-07. CDS C9-C12 cover ALL enrolled first-years, so the record is filed under `enrolled`. The 3.9 average previously stored matched no USC document: CDS 2024-25 C12 = 3.80 (Fall 2024, 99% submitting) and CDS 2025-26 C12 = 3.85 (Fall 2025; the PDF's section pages carry a stale 2024-2025 header, page 1 and the C9 counts identify the 2025-26 edition). The 3.79-4.00 band is not in any CDS; it is the 'Fall Enrolls' column of USC's First-Year Student Profile PDF (admission.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/first-year-student-profile.pdf), Class of 2029 edition (applicants 3.59-3.97, Fall Admits 3.87-4.00, Fall Enrolls 3.79-4.00); the Class of 2028 edition read 3.77-4.00 for enrolls and the Class of 2027 edition 3.79-4.00. Both stored figures now describe the Fall 2025 enrolled class. The admitted band (3.87-4.00) is not stored. Common Data Set 2025-26, C12 (enrolled average); USC First-Year Student Profile, Class of 2029 (middle 50% unweighted GPA, 'Fall Enrolls' column) ↗
As published by the college in its Common Data Set / admissions data (2025-26) — independently verified 2026-07-23 (source linked above). GPA basis (weighted vs. unweighted vs. 4.0-scale) varies by college and is labeled above.
Outcomes & cost
What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.
Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).
The real cost
What University of Southern California actually costs
Which side your family lands on isn't set by any national income line — it's set by University of Southern California's own aid decision: the gap between its price and your family's finances.
University of Southern California's own published aid policy · 2026-27
Incoming first-year students from U.S. families with an annual income of $80,000 or less with typical assets can attend USC tuition free
Income thresholds assume typical assets — and this college uses the CSS Profile, which can count home equity and business value the federal form ignores. Policy independently verified against the college's financial-aid pages ↗.
Your odds + estimated cost across your whole college list, side by side.
The payoffTen years of typical graduate pay minus four years of cost — how many dollars ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten. Check both the full-price and with-aid versions to see which applies to you; median pay reflects who a college admits and what they study as much as the college itself., both ways
+$564K ahead at full price +$794K with aidSource: College Scorecard (average net price among Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates who received aid) and each college's published cost of attendance. We don't show the federal net-price-by-income brackets: their categories were fixed in 2008 and never adjusted, and none of the averages is your family's own number — the full story. Payoff = (10-yr median earnings × 10) − (4 years of cost), in dollars — how far ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten; medians travel with the students a college admits and the majors they choose as much as with the college itself. Full price is the published cost of attendance; earnings are 10 years after enrollment, all majors combined.
What students study here
Most popular majors at University of Southern California
Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what University of Southern California actually graduates — not just what it markets.
What those majors earn here
Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — University of Southern California's own graduates, not national averages.
| Major (CIP) | 4-yr earnings |
|---|---|
| Computer Science. | $192,897 |
| Computer Engineering. | $166,369 |
| Real Estate. | $143,977 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | $131,532 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering. | $125,514 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | $121,101 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications. | $115,839 |
| Industrial Engineering. | $112,150 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | $109,128 |
| Real Estate Development. | $107,292 |
Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →
Merit aidScholarship money awarded for grades or test scores, not financial need — at many colleges it's automatic at certain GPA/score levels.
What your test score unlocks at University of Southern California
Score-or-merit-based scholarships published by the institution. Stackable in most cases — confirm with the financial aid office.
| Award | Annual award | Score gate |
|---|---|---|
|
Trustee Scholarship
Trustee (full tuition) · any
|
$73,260/yr as published, checked 2026-06-06 · source ↗ |
1500+ SAT |
|
Stamps Leadership Scholarship
Stamps Leadership (full tuition + stipend) · any
|
$73,260/yr as published, checked 2026-06-06 · source ↗ |
1500+ SAT |
|
Mork Family Scholarship
Mork Family · any
|
$73,260/yr as published, checked 2026-06-06 · source ↗ |
1500+ SAT |
|
Presidential Scholarship
Presidential (half tuition) · any
|
$36,630/yr as published, checked 2026-06-06 · source ↗ |
1450+ SAT |
|
Dean's Scholarship
Dean's · any
|
$18,000/yr as published, checked 2026-06-06 · source ↗ |
1400+ SAT |
See all merit scholarships across colleges + 13 national awards on /merit-scholarships →
Student body & economic mobility
Who attends here — and what the campus adds.
Opportunity Insights data. It measures two things at once: how many lower-income students a college enrols, and how many of them reach the top earnings quintile later. A high rate says the college does both — it does not establish that the campus caused the earnings, because the students it admits differ from the students it doesn't. Read it as a signal about access and destination, not as proof of value added.
Full leaderboards: /college-mobility →
Alternatives to University of Southern California
Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.
Or compare any college side-by-side
Deciding on University of Southern California?
Get the full picture in one free report — your child's Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely odds and your real net price, for University of Southern California and every other college on your list.
Get your child's odds at University of Southern California →Related reading
Who feeds which college · October 2, 2026
Behind the data · September 26, 2026
College admissions · October 2026
Read next on Test Prep Gurus
Usually yes. Submitters were admitted 1.9x more often at USC and 3.2x at Cornell Arts & Sciences, by the colleges' own counts.
USC is test-optional, but enrolled first-years who submitted scored 1440-1550 SAT and 32-35 ACT (IPEDS 2023). What that band means in 2026, and the move.
For Parents
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At a glance
JSON · Using this page with an AI assistantUniversity of Southern California is a private nonprofit four-year college in CA. It admitted 10% of applicants (80,808 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-optional.
Middle 50% of enrolled first-years who submitted that test: SAT 1440–1550, ACT 32–35. 32% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score, 14% an ACT — these ranges describe students who submitted, not the whole class. Average enrolled GPA 3.85 (unweighted, 2025-26, as published by the college).
Cost: about $32,740 a year on average with aid, $90,300 a year at full price.
Median earnings ten years after entry: $92,498 a year. Payoff, meaning ten years of that pay minus four years of cost: $794,020 ahead with aid, $563,780 ahead at full price.
Highest median earnings four years after the degree, by program: Computer Science ($192,897); Computer Engineering ($166,369); Real Estate ($143,977).
Economic mobility (Opportunity Insights): 7% of students came from families in the bottom fifth of income, and 55% of those reached the top fifth as adults.
Aid pledge published by the college for 2026-27: families earning under $80,000 pay no tuition; the college meets full demonstrated need.
High schools that publish a numbered matriculation list and name University of Southern California: 216, 1157 enrolled students between them — ranked by graduates per class year, most often Orange County School of the Arts (23.0 per class year, 23 over 1 class year, Class of 2026); Mira Costa High School (17.0 per class year, 17 over 1 class year, Class of 2026); Palo Alto Senior High School (11.0 per class year, 11 over 1 class year, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, counted column "2026"). Each figure is the number that school printed divided by the class years its own list covers; the totals and years are shown. These are the schools that publish such a list, not every school that sends students; full list: https://highschoolreach.com/leaderboards/feeder-schools/university-of-southern-california.
High schools that publish a numbered list of college acceptances naming University of Southern California: 26, 257 admissions between them — ranked by admissions per class year, most often Mira Costa High School (39.0 per class year, 39 over 1 class year, 2022-2026 College Admission Data, counted column "The first column represents the number of students admitted from the Class of 2026"); Chaminade College Preparatory (29.0 per class year, 29 over 1 class year, Class of 2026); California School of the Arts — San Gabriel Valley (22.0 per class year, 22 over 1 class year, Class of 2026, counted column "Acceptances (Class of 2026)"). Admits are counted at each college, so this counts admissions, not students. These are a different set of documents from the matriculation lists above and the two are never added together; full list: https://highschoolreach.com/leaderboards/feeder-schools/university-of-southern-california.
Machine-readable version of this page: https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/university-of-southern-california.json
Questions families ask
What is University of Southern California's acceptance rate? University of Southern California is a private nonprofit four-year college in CA. It admitted 10% of applicants (80,808 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-optional.
Does University of Southern California require the SAT or ACT? University of Southern California is a private nonprofit four-year college in CA. It admitted 10% of applicants (80,808 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-optional.
What SAT or ACT scores do University of Southern California students have? Middle 50% of enrolled first-years who submitted that test: SAT 1440–1550, ACT 32–35. 32% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score, 14% an ACT — these ranges describe students who submitted, not the whole class. Average enrolled GPA 3.85 (unweighted, 2025-26, as published by the college).
How much does University of Southern California cost? Cost: about $32,740 a year on average with aid, $90,300 a year at full price.
What do University of Southern California graduates earn? Median earnings ten years after entry: $92,498 a year. Payoff, meaning ten years of that pay minus four years of cost: $794,020 ahead with aid, $563,780 ahead at full price.
Which majors at University of Southern California pay the most? Highest median earnings four years after the degree, by program: Computer Science ($192,897); Computer Engineering ($166,369); Real Estate ($143,977).
Does University of Southern California offer free tuition or meet full need? Aid pledge published by the college for 2026-27: families earning under $80,000 pay no tuition; the college meets full demonstrated need.
Which high schools send the most graduates to University of Southern California? The high schools sending the most graduates per class year to University of Southern California, from each school's own published list: Orange County School of the Arts (23), Mira Costa High School (17), Palo Alto Senior High School (11), Crossroads School (9), California School of the Arts — San Gabriel Valley (9). 216 high schools' lists name University of Southern California.
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Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com). These figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.