University of Southern California (USC): Ranking 2026, Admissions, Fees, Scholarships & Programs

• USC is located in Los Angeles. They have two campuses—one for Health Sciences and the other for all other degrees. They are located to the South and West of Downtown Los Angeles, respectively.
• Both campuses are equipped with multiple gyms, swimming pools, libraries, football fields, basketball courts, beach volleyball courts and on-campus hospitals.
• Spring Fest and Fall Fest happen in Spring and Fall semesters. The AIS Indian Student club hosts Holi and Diwali celebrations on a very big scale. Many other ethnicities have their own clubs and events and all are welcome to participate
• Multiple student organizations are run in the university by students. Indian Student org, Women In Engineering org, Indian Dance Club, Book Reading club, Undergrad Student Org., etc. These clubs engage students in various club-related activities and events throughout the semester. Basketball and American Football are the most popular sports on campus, with great rivalries between schools.

• Tuition: $80,000 Living Expenses and other misc.: $21,000
• It is credit-based. Per credit cost is $2543 for a master's in the Engineering school. Varies by School and degree
• Rent: $850 for a shared room in a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment. Electricity and other utilities (gas, trash, Wi-Fi): $85, Transportation: approx. $40, Groceries: $120, Miscellaneous: $100

• There are alot of events happening throughout the campus every single week. USC is a very cultural university, with alot of focus on sports. You will find yourself in Movie nights, Trivia nights, sports events and all kinds of crafty experiences.
• There are clubs for treks, running, dining. As soon as you join campus a series of Late Nigh SC events begin to welcome the new cohort, which was my favourite. Lots of photo booths and dance nights, especially the Viterbi ball!

• The fee is to be paid every semester which amount to 20k USD appx. 
• The monthly expense which includes the rent as well as other expenses like electricity, wifi, gas, groceries can amount to 1500 USD. 
• The university is at a walkable distance so you won't have to spend much on transportation. After 6pm USC provides free Lyft until 2am for any place in a 2 mile radius, making it very easy for us as students to go to any place for any errands.
• There are also shuttles running through the day which helps if you're not a fan of walking. The public transport is also available to USC students for free using the U-pass which will be issued upon your arrival.

• The University of Southern California (USC) has 2 primary campuses: University Park Campus (main campus) and Health Sciences Campus.
• Libraries: 23 campus libraries with tech-enhanced study spaces
• Sports: Lyon Center (fitness, group exercise), Galen Center, Dalands Swim Stadium,
• Medical: Engemann Student Health Center (primary/specialty care, pharmacy), Keck Hospital

• Full Fee Breakdown
  1. Tuition

  Graduate Engineering Tuition: $2,543 per unit1

  Total Units: 28 units

  Total Tuition: ~$71,204 (28 units × $2,543)

  2. Mandatory Fees

  Per Semester: $873 (includes programming, transportation, and student aid fees)1

  Total for 4 Semesters:$3,492

  3. Health Insurance

  Annual Cost: $6,080 (Fall: $1,063; Spring/Summer: $1,977)1

  4. Housing

  Estimated Annual Cost: $9,600 (off-campus)24 month*800/per
  Housing (2 years): $38,400

  5. Additional Costs

  Personal Expenses: ~$2,700 annually
  Personal Expenses (2 years): $5,400

• Total Estimated Program Cost: ~ $105,376 (including tuition, fees, insurance, housing, and ancillary expenses)159

• Fee Charging Structure
  Tuition: Credit-based/International wire (charged per semester)1
  Mandatory Fees: Semester-wise (fixed per term)1
  Housing/Insurance: off campus, Monthly

• 2 campuses and the two are one is university park campus and the other one is Health science campus.
• Library, sports facilities and medical services and a pool are all the facilities that are available at the campuses to provide convenience to the students.
• There are multiple clubs such as viterbi student graduate association and 100 types of different clubs you can get to know as soon as you get admission, you can check on the portal.

• Tuition fee is 21000$ per semester. Credit based fees structure, where a person is only able to take a maximum of 8 credits per semester, so its 2625$ per credit.
• Transportation is free around here in USC, as USC provides a free Lyft program after 6pm till 6am.
• Rent is averaged around 650-800$ per sharing room and about 1000-1400$ per private room, though it heavily still depends on the location one is living in.

I chose the University of Southern California (USC) for my MS in Computer Science due to its outstanding reputation and the comprehensive, cutting-edge curriculum it offers. USC is renowned for its strong emphasis on research and innovation, providing access to world-class faculty and state-of-the-art facilities. The factors that drove me to accept the offer include the university's robust industry connections and the vibrant tech community in Los Angeles, which offers excellent internship and job opportunities. Additionally, USC's diverse and inclusive environment, along with its extensive alumni network, ensures a supportive and enriching experience. My overall experience at USC has been exceptional. The collaborative atmosphere, coupled with ample resources and extracurricular opportunities, has significantly enhanced my academic and personal growth. Choosing USC for my MS in Computer Science has proven to be a pivotal decision, aligning perfectly with my career aspirations and providing a solid foundation for my future endeavors.

The campus life is supposed to be great but unfortunately I was a part of the covid batch and didn't get to experience any of it.

I liked the program of ms in computer science and I thought that it would be a better career option that I had decided to step into. Our university also helps in making connections which is a skill that I needed to develop. Overall my college experience was great. Faculty members are helpful and always ready to support us. I'm quite disappointed about the placement but overall a great learning experience.

It was good, Wifi was provided and I have also participated in many extracurricular activities.

I enjoyed my time at USC. I felt it was academically enriching and that I learned a lot, as well as made many long term friends. The administration very often made it apparent that they cared more about money and profit than the well-being of their students, however. This is not new for USC, which has been involved with many, many scandals. Scholarship, a top film school in the world, location, extremely low acceptance rate, the greater university it was a part of, and its school spirit and prestige.

Campus life is fun; it’s a party school, the facilities are very nice, they treat athletes well, and there are some issues surrounding Greek life.

I love the unique program of Intelligence and Cyber Operations that USC offers and I thought that it would be a better career path that I had originally decided to step into. Instead of majoring in data science, I would just minor in it to apply it to a different field I was interested in -- cybersecurity. Another reason I took this offer is that USC is close to home and was a cheaper option than the other option I was deciding on. I loved that USC is a social school, built on making connections which is a skill that I needed to develop, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall my college experience at USC has been phenomenal and I definitely wouldn't change a thing. It truly is a great place and I want to make sure I can make use of it for the next three years. I know this is cliche but it is the people that make USC what USC truly is. I would love to continue meeting new people and enjoying my time at USC!

Campus life is always popping with USC featured events. They have this app called eventSC which has a list of many different college-wide and college-specific events. For example, I went to their Paint Night, Dance Night, Carnival Night, only to mention a few. They also have many clubs of different interests and lots of school spirit (Fight On!). They also have basketball courts, swimming pools, two gyms, and more. Lots of libraries to study in as well which includes good WiFi.

For admission I required SOP, LOR’s, CV. I mostly focused on demonstrating my past experiences and how did it align with my future program aspirations. One of the top colleges for MEM, Engineering department ranked amongst one of the top in the nation, program structure and flexibility for ex. I can take courses from Business School. It’s great overall. Good campus life with reasonable chances of getting part time job, good infrastructure facilities for recreational activities and enough libraries to make sure we study right before the exams

Lots of extra curricular activities going on, chance to participate in sports, decent whether so always a good day to be on campus.

"I think the key in general is to ask the professors under whom you have worked to write a recommendation letter so that they can relate and write exactly what you did for LORs. For SOPs I think dictating your like and showcasing the skills required and core values of the universities to your profile makes a lot of difference. I had made it to the final round of Dartmouth just based on making my profile align with the uni values. CV: should be professional one with college and professional work properly filled. " "USC, the main reason was the tag of MEMPC for my program and it's reputation, and the second reason was the flexibility of the course to go through marshall school of business to pick and choose my course. Other factors included the location and weather as well. " I like the overall experience of the university. There's so much to learn, live and experience. It's thrill for sure can be stressful but at the same exciting to learn how to make your own path.

Campus life is really live I would say. Lots of events and things to enjoy, it's really an experience with the sports extra activities.