College dataData from U.S. Dept of EducationUpdated May 2026 · 4 min read
Data: 2026-05 Next refresh: Nov 2026

University of Southern California: Cost, Graduate Salary, Acceptance Rate and Return on Investment

University of Southern California is a private nonprofit college in Los Angeles, CA. Students pay about $32,740 a year in net price, and the median graduate earns $92,498 ten years after enrolling. By our Degree-ROI measure the degree pays back in about 3.3 years and adds $309,020 over a decade, ranking it #38 of 918 (top 5%) by value added.

Avg net price / yr
$32,740
Median salary (10 yrs)
$92,498
10-yr value added
$309,020
Acceptance rate
9.8%

What is University of Southern California's acceptance rate?

University of Southern California has an acceptance rate of 9.8%, which makes it highly selective. It is a private nonprofit institution in Los Angeles, CA enrolling about 20,443 students, with a 91.9% graduation rate.

How much does University of Southern California cost?

University of Southern California costs about $32,740 per year in average net price, what a typical student actually pays after grants and scholarships. Over four years, including typical borrowing, that totals roughly $148,960. Published sticker cost of attendance is $90,300 per year.

How much do University of Southern California graduates earn?

Ten years after enrolling, the median University of Southern California student earns $92,498 per year. That is $45,798 more than the $46,700 that the typical worker with only a high-school diploma earns.

Is University of Southern California worth it? Degree ROI and payback period

University of Southern California pays back its roughly $148,960 cost in about 3.3 years, then keeps returning the earnings premium. Over the first decade the degree adds about $309,020 net of cost, a 3.07x return on the money invested. That ranks it #38 of 918 (top 5%) by value added. Its top-tier value is driven mainly by strong graduate earnings and a high graduation rate.

Top 10% value

University of Southern California graduation rate and student debt

91.9% of University of Southern California students complete their degree, and the median graduate leaves with $18,000 in federal student debt. That debt is about 19% of one year of median graduate earnings.

University of Southern California by the numbers (vs the typical college)

How University of Southern California compares to the median four-year college in our snapshot. Percentile is its rank among the 918 colleges that report both earnings and cost (higher is better).

MetricThis schoolMedian collegePercentile
Avg net price / yr$32,740$20,299cheaper than 12%
Median earnings (10 yrs)$92,498$54,76896th
Graduation rate91.9%57.0%97th
Acceptance rate9.8%75.7%more selective than 97%
10-yr value added$309,020-$28,19296th
ROI multiple (per $1)3.07x0.73x91th
Payback period3.3 yrs8.8 yrsfaster than 88%
How we compute Degree value-add & ROI. Investment basis = average net price × 4 years + median debt (net price preferred; published sticker cost used as a fallback). Earnings premium = median earnings 10 years after entry minus the $46,700 typical earnings of a worker with only a high-school diploma (BLS Current Population Survey, median annual earnings for workers with a high-school diploma and no college (~$899/week, 2023)). Degree value-add = premium × 10 years minus total cost, the net return of the degree itself over a high-school career (it can be negative). ROI multiple = 10-year premium ÷ cost. Payback = cost ÷ annual premium. Ranked by value-add among the 918 four-year colleges in this snapshot that report both earnings and cost; 226 of them do not pay back at ten years. Missing values are excluded, never estimated.
Open data: these figures come from the public College Scorecard (public domain). Our computed Degree value-add, ROI multiple, and payback are free to cite/reuse under CC-BY 4.0.

Frequently asked

Is University of Southern California worth the cost compared to other colleges?

By value added net of cost, University of Southern California ranks #38 of 918 (top 5%) of the 918 four-year colleges we rank, and returns about 3.07x the money invested over a decade.

Is University of Southern California expensive compared to other colleges?

Its $32,740 average net price is above the $20,299 median for the colleges in this snapshot, making it cheaper than 12% of them.

Do University of Southern California graduates earn more than average?

Median earnings of $92,498 ten years out are above the $54,768 median, higher than 96% of the colleges here.

How hard is it to get into University of Southern California compared to other colleges?

Its 9.8% acceptance rate is below the 75.7% median, making it more selective than 97% of the colleges in the snapshot.

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