USC: Acceptance Rate, Transfer Odds and Tuition-Free Aid

Private colleges in California · By CalChannel Editorial Team · Updated October 5, 2026

The USC acceptance rate was 11.2% for Fall 2025: the University of Southern California admitted 9,345 of 83,488 first-year applicants, according to its Common Data Set. USC is a private university in Los Angeles, not part of the UC system. Its 2026-27 cost of attendance is $103,162 on campus, but families earning $80,000 or less with typical assets pay no tuition.

USC and UC are two letters apart and completely different systems, and people mix them up constantly. The University of Southern California is a private research university with its own tuition, its own admission process and one of the largest financial aid programs in the country.

For California students, USC raises two questions a UC doesn’t: whether the $100,000 sticker price is real for your family, and whether there’s a second route in if you aren’t admitted as a first-year. This guide answers both with USC’s 2025-26 Common Data Set and its 2026-27 cost of attendance.

USC in Brief: L.A.’s Oldest Private Research University

USC, the University of Southern California, is a private research university founded in 1880, which makes it the oldest private research university in California. It’s governed by its own board of trustees and organized into many schools, including the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the School of Cinematic Arts, the Marshall School of Business, the Viterbi School of Engineering, the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Keck School of Medicine.

Undergraduates apply to USC through the Common Application and choose a first-choice major, so the school or program you apply to shapes much of your experience.

Is USC a UC School?

No. USC is private and has no connection to the University of California system, even though the names sound similar and both are in California. UC campuses such as UCLA and UC Berkeley are public, use the UC application and charge lower tuition to California residents.

At USC, tuition is the same for California residents and out-of-state students. That’s the practical difference: a Californian’s sticker price at USC is several times the in-state price at a UC, although USC’s need-based aid can close much of that gap for many families.

USC Acceptance Rate for Californians and Transfers

USC admitted 11.2% of first-year applicants for Fall 2025: 83,488 students applied, 9,345 were admitted and 3,759 enrolled, according to its Common Data Set 2025-26. That places USC among the most selective universities in California, alongside Stanford and Caltech.

Unlike the UC and CSU systems, USC doesn’t give California residents a meaningfully easier path: the in-state admit rate was 11.4%, close to the overall figure. Californians do make up the largest share of the entering class, at about 45% of enrolled first-years.

Transferring to USC

Transfer admission is a realistic second route. For Fall 2025, USC admitted 2,929 of 10,827 transfer applicants, about 27%, and 1,544 of them enrolled. That’s more than double the first-year admit rate, which is why many California students start at a community college or another university and apply to USC as transfers. USC also reported no first-year waitlist for Fall 2025.

What USC Looks For in Applicants

The University of Southern California uses holistic review, so grades, course rigor, essays, activities and recommendations all matter. The academic profile of admitted students is very strong: Fall 2025 first-years had an average high school GPA of 3.85, and 69% of those who reported class rank were in the top tenth of their class.

So what does that mean in practice? Admission is very competitive in every category, so treat USC as a reach school even with top grades, and pair it with UC, CSU and other private California colleges on your list.

USC Cost and the $80,000 Tuition-Free Threshold

USC’s estimated 2026-27 cost of attendance for a full-time undergraduate is $103,162 living on campus, $102,792 off campus and $94,630 living with parents or relatives. Tuition is $75,384 for 12-18 units per semester, and it’s the same for California and out-of-state students.

Few families pay that full price. USC says nearly two-thirds of its undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, and it meets the full USC-determined need of eligible undergraduates who meet all deadlines. Families with an annual income of $80,000 or less and typical assets can attend tuition-free.

Our take: USC’s sticker price passed $100,000 a year for 2026-27, and that number scares off a lot of California families who would actually pay less at USC than at a public university. If your family earns $80,000 or less, tuition is covered, and many middle-income families qualify for substantial need-based grants. Run USC’s net price calculator before you rule it out, and compare the result with your UC and Cal Grant estimates.

To be considered for need-based aid, file the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and the CSS Profile by USC’s deadlines. California residents can also use a Cal Grant at USC.

How Many USC Students Graduate in Four Years?

The University of Southern California had 45,815 students in Fall 2025: 20,768 undergraduates and 25,047 graduate and professional students, according to its Common Data Set. That makes it one of the largest private universities in the country, with more graduate students than undergraduates.

Despite its size, the student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1. Students also finish: about 95% of first-year students returned for their second year, 71% of the 2019 entering class graduated in four years and 90% graduated within six years.

University Park and the Health Sciences Campus

USC’s main University Park campus is in Los Angeles, a few miles south of downtown, next to Exposition Park and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the Trojans play football. The Health Sciences campus, home to the Keck School of Medicine, is northeast of downtown in Boyle Heights.

The urban location is a big part of USC’s appeal. Students have easy access to internships and jobs in entertainment, media, business and tech across Los Angeles, and the Metro E Line stops near campus.

Film, Business and the Trojan Network

The University of Southern California is known for its School of Cinematic Arts, one of the most famous film schools in the world, and for its ties to the entertainment industry. It’s also well known for business through the Marshall School, engineering through Viterbi, communication and journalism through Annenberg, and its large alumni network, often called the “Trojan Family.”

Athletics are a major part of campus identity. The Trojans compete in NCAA Division I and joined the Big Ten Conference in 2024. USC football has one of the most decorated histories in college sports, and USC athletes have won more Olympic medals than athletes from any other American university.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is USC Within Reach for Your Family?

The University of Southern California is a private research university in Los Angeles with no ties to the UC system. It enrolls about 21,000 undergraduates and is known for film, business, engineering, communication and athletics.

Its 2026-27 sticker price is $103,162 on campus, but families earning $80,000 or less pay no tuition, and most undergraduates receive aid. Apply by the November 1 early action deadline if USC is a top choice, file the FAFSA and CSS Profile, and compare USC with UC campuses and other private colleges in California, such as Loyola Marymount.

CalChannel Editorial Team California college guides

The CalChannel editorial team researches and writes guides to California colleges, admissions and financial aid. We build our college profiles and aid guides from colleges’ own published data, federal IPEDS data and the California Student Aid Commission. Read our editorial policy.