University of Southern California

University of Southern California incoming freshman academic profile

Average high school GPA

3.852025-26 · CollegeData source

SAT composite middle score

1,5102025-26 CDS · Source

ACT composite middle score

332025-26 CDS · Source

Average GPA of enrolled freshmen (scale may be weighted or unweighted). SAT/ACT are median scores of students who submitted them — not scholarship cutoffs.

Freshman financial need & merit gifts

Reporting year unavailable financial-aid profile · CollegeData source

Average freshman need met

Not reported

Average undergraduate need met

Not reported

These groups use different denominators and should not be added together. Need met is an average share of assessed financial need—not a share of tuition or an aid guarantee.

University of Southern California net price by family income

Historical average cost after all grants and scholarships — not need-based aid eligibility. 2024–25 academic year.

Families earning $150,000+ should not assume they'll get need-based grants; the "Over $110K" group mixes very different incomes.

At what family income does financial aid stop at University of Southern California?

There's no universal cutoff. Need-based aid depends on income, assets, family size and college rules; merit scholarships are based on grades and scores, so high income doesn't rule them out. Use University of Southern California's net price calculator for a personal estimate, and the federal aid estimator for federal aid.

Graduation, earnings & student debt

6-year graduation

90.2%Fall 2019 / 2019–20 entering cohort

First-year retention

95.9%Fall 2023 entering cohort; return in fall 2024

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$103,4202011–12 and 2012–13 entering cohorts; earnings in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars

Median federal debt

$17,000Federal fiscal years 2024 and 2025, pooled

Historical group figures, not individual predictions. Debt excludes private and Parent PLUS loans. Source: College Scorecard (ID 123961).

Colleges with acceptance rates similar to University of Southern California

University of Southern California accepts about 11% of applicants. These colleges have the closest reported acceptance rates.

• University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA11% acceptance
• Tufts University · Medford, MA11% acceptance
• Middlebury College · Middlebury, VT11% acceptance
• Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA12% acceptance
• College of the Ozarks · Point Lookout, MO12% acceptance
• Emory University · Atlanta, GA10% acceptance
• Barnard College · New York, NY10% acceptance
• Harvey Mudd College · Claremont, CA12% acceptance
• United States Military Academy · West Point, NY12% acceptance
• Davidson College · Davidson, NC13% acceptance

Colleges with merit aid similar to University of Southern California

University of Southern California reports average merit aid of $21,399 per year. These colleges report the closest average non-need-based awards.

• Northwestern University · Evanston, IL$21,215 avg merit aid / yr
• Bentley University · Waltham, MA$21,176 avg merit aid / yr
• Lehigh University · Bethlehem, PA$21,666 avg merit aid / yr
• Hope College · Holland, MI$21,711 avg merit aid / yr
• Pratt Institute-Main · Brooklyn, NY$21,746.758 avg merit aid / yr
• DePaul University · Chicago, IL$20,876 avg merit aid / yr
• Messiah University · Mechanicsburg, PA$20,859 avg merit aid / yr
• Boston College · Chestnut Hill, MA$20,795 avg merit aid / yr
• George Washington University · Washington, DC$22,036.67 avg merit aid / yr
• Lipscomb University · Nashville, TN$20,758 avg merit aid / yr