by our College Data Analytics TeamThis overview lays out the cost of attending University of Southern California, from sticker cost of attendance and projected degree cost to net price, debt at graduation, and aid breakdowns.
Use the section links below to navigate this overview:
The full cost of attending University of Southern California amounts to about $84,678.00 for a single academic year.
Cost is shown below as the full sticker price, the average net price after aid, and the low-income net price.
| Tuition and fees | $72,097.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $12,581.00 |
| Total cost | $84,678.00 |
| That is 158% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $84,678.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$57,560.00 |
| Net price | $27,118.00 |
| That is 17% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $84,678.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$76,784.00 |
| Net price | $7,894.00 |
| That is 76% below the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into tuition and fees plus living costs. |
Cost of attendance here has been rising at a recent average of 5.4% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. Loan totals assume a ten-year repayment at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Freshman year | $8,323.00 | $28,593.00 | $89,285.00 |
| Senior year | $9,757.00 | $33,519.00 | $104,665.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $36,111.00 | $124,050.00 | $387,357.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $13,757.00 | $47,259.00 | $147,569.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $416.00 | $1,428.00 | $4,458.00 |
| Total amount paid | $49,868.00 | $171,309.00 | $534,925.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Freshman year | $8,323.00 | $28,593.00 | $89,285.00 |
| Senior year | $8,776.00 | $30,149.00 | $94,142.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $17,100.00 | $58,742.00 | $183,427.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $6,514.00 | $22,379.00 | $69,879.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $197.00 | $676.00 | $2,111.00 |
| Total amount paid | $23,614.00 | $81,121.00 | $253,307.00 |
Read more in the net price section below.
The net price figure shows the cost after grants and scholarships are deducted. For most students, this is the more useful number than published tuition because it reflects the real out-of-pocket cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $32,740.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $31,927.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. Below, average net price is broken out by family income:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $15,470.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $13,692.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $18,993.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $29,865.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $56,347.00 |
Use University of Southern California Net Price Calculator, or reach out to the financial aid office.
Dig into how aid is awarded on the financial aid page.
The typical debt load for borrowers leaving University of Southern California is $16,112.00, which federal data classifies as a Low ($10-20k) debt-load classification.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $5,500.00 |
| 25th | $13,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $16,112.00 |
| 75th | $27,000.00 |
| 90th | $34,462.00 |
The spread between the 10th and 90th percentiles reflects how variable debt outcomes are at this school.
Dig deeper into debt on the student loan debt detail.
Debt at graduation is far from uniform across income levels. The figures below split graduating borrowers into three income brackets:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,938.00 |
| Middle income | $17,000.00 |
| High income | $15,000.00 |
Low-income graduates carry $1,938.00 in additional median debt versus high-income graduates.
First-gen students typically face different financial-aid contexts than students whose parents attended college.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,750.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,500.00 |
First-generation graduates of University of Southern California carry $1,250.00 more than continuing-generation graduates.
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. Looking at Pell recipients versus non-recipients tells us how debt is distributed across need.
The median debt difference between Pell-eligible and non-Pell graduates of University of Southern California works out to $2,125.00. This school carries a federal Pell-debt-inequity flag.
The default-rate category at University of Southern California is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 1.4% |
To put the rates in context, Stafford loans at University of Southern California add up to $4,262,050,485.00 over 93,526 student borrowers.
Veterans and active-duty students can access dedicated federal education aid such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 754 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $29,960.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 67 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $1,962.00 |
Explore GI Bill and military aid in detail on the college veterans page.
The figures above are a starting point — as you weigh University of Southern California, the questions below are worth your time:
Use the pages below to go deeper on a specific part of the cost story:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.