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University of Southern California (USC)


University of Southern California (USC)

University of Southern California (USC)

The University of Southern California (commonly called USC, SC, and other names)  is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, USA. USC was founded in 1880, making it California’s oldest private research university.

USC’s four year, full-time undergraduate program enrolled 16,751 undergraduate students in Fall 2009. USC is currently ranked 23rd among national universities by U.S. News & World Report which classified it as one of the “most selective universities” for admitting 24.4% of the 35,753 people who applied for freshman admission in 2009, and 73rd worldwide by the 2010-11 Times Higher Education rankings.   According to the 2009 freshman profile, 22% of admissions were associated with legacy preferences.  USC is also home to 18,073 graduate and professional students in a number of different programs, including business, law, and medicine.

The university has a “very high” level of research activity and received $463.7 million in sponsored research from 2008 to 2009.   USC was named “College of the Year 2000″ by the editors of Time and The Princeton Review for the university’s extensive community-service programs.  USC students hail from 112 countries, and all 50 states in the United States.

USC sponsors a variety of intercollegiate sports and competes in the NCAA Pacific-10 Conference. Members of the sports teams, the Trojans, have won 91 NCAA team championships, ranking them third in the nation, and 358 NCAA individual championships, ranking them second in the nation.   Trojan athletes have won 236 medals at the Olympic games.
The cost of attendance at USC is high compared with most universities, at around $57,000 per year.  Still, USC is the 3rd most economically diverse top-ranked school.

University of Southern California (USC) Rankings in 2010

University of Southern California (USC) Rankings in 2011

University of Southern California (USC) Tuition and Fees

Estimate of Fall 2010 & Spring 2011 Costs for Undergraduate Students

The estimate of costs in the table below would be for a USC undergraduate who:

  • is full-time (taking 12-18 units during both fall and spring semesters)
  • is living in university housing
  • has a meal plan
  • has season football tickets
  • has a transportation allowance (i.e. no car).
(Fall / Spring academic year)
$40384Tuition
1,040Student Health Insurance (may be waived with proof of sufficient coverage)
472Student Health Service fee (mandatory)
145Student Season Football Tickets
614Mandatory fees: Student Programming, Student Services, and Topping Aid (see Other Costs* below…)
11,458Room and board (rent & meal plans)
1,500Books and supplies
1,200Personal / Miscellaneous
828

Transportation (parking permit) or 796 Housing (parking permit)

$56,813Total (add $150 USC Orientation Fee for your first semester)

Estimated Fall 2010 Tuition Rates For Graduate Students (from the Schedule of Classes):

Graduate Tuition
15-18 units20,192.00
Unit basis1,360.00
Business M.B.A. (full-time), M.B.A. PM, M.S.,
Business Administration and Ph.D. Sessions 033 and 036
Unit basis1,396.00
Graduate Cinematic- Television Session 037
Unit basis (no flat fee)1,447.00
Advanced Dentistry (per trimester)23,448.00
Dentistry (per trimester) Session 00623,309.00
Dental Hygiene (per trimester) Session 00718,896.00
Special Dental International Students
(per trimester) Session 00823,309.00
Graduate Engineering (500 level and above)
Unit basis1,449.00
Law Session 002
Flat fee basis (13-17 units)23,387.00
Unit basis1,807.00
Medicine Session 003
Flat fee basis23,205.00
Master of Physician Assistant Practice
Flat fee basis20,192.00
Pharmacy Session 004, 005
Flat fee basis (15-18 units)20,750.00
Unit basis1,383.00
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Full year for year 1 and 2 students51,035.00
Partial year for year 3 students30,834.00
Master of Real Estate Development Session 038
Flat fee basis (16-18 units)24,144.00
Unit basis1,509.00

For the latest rates please check the “Tuition & Fees” section of the Schedule of Classes at www.usc.edu/soc .

Schools of University of Southern California (USC)

University of Southern California (USC)

  • Anniversary Event Looks at Role of Global Universities - Mon, 21 May 2012
    Scholars from Los Angeles and London kicked off the Global Communication 10th Anniversary Celebration at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism on May 17 by analyzing the roles that global universities – and their students and alumni – should play in the world's development of higher education.
  • Proposition 29 Symposium to be Held May 30 - Mon, 21 May 2012
    Leading physicians and researchers from California universities will come together on May 30 to discuss the impact of tobacco on residents’ health and potential implications of a statewide initiative aimed at supporting cancer research.
  • Arrests Made in Ying Wu and Ming Qu Case, USC Issues Statement - Sat, 19 May 2012
    The Los Angeles Police Department announced the arrests of two suspects in connection with the deaths of USC graduate students Ying Wu and Ming Qu. An official statement from USC president C. L. Max Nikias was issued at the time [...]
  • Nikias Leads His First USC Delegation to Sacramento - Thu, 17 May 2012
    USC president C. L. Max Nikias led a delegation of university trustees and administrators to Sacramento – his first official visit to the state Capitol as president – to meet with lawmakers on May 16.
  • USC Dornsife Scholar Honored as a Changemaker - Thu, 17 May 2012
    As a researcher at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Manuel Pastor is dedicated to improving the economic, environmental and social conditions facing low-income, urban communities.
  • A Keen Sense of Science - Wed, 16 May 2012
    Two doctoral students at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences were awarded the Graduate Student Prize for Excellence in Research from the USC Center for Applied Mathematical Sciences for contributions to the fields of mathematics and physics.
  • Can Culture Be Digitally Preserved? - Wed, 16 May 2012
    Screening the Future 2012, an upcoming conference to be held at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center, will address those questions as experts from around the world gather to discuss and learn about the state of the art in digital audiovisual conservation.

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