University of Southern California Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the pattern across income bands shows how the discount is distributed. Average net prices range from $13,516 in the lowest income band to $56,116 in the highest, a spread of $42,600.

The middle bands sit at $14,394, $19,539, and $24,976, rising steadily with income. The spread describes a pattern of lower average net prices at lower incomes, rather than an individual aid package.

University of Southern California publishes a cost of attendance of $90,300, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $72,097 and room and board are $19,931.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—varies sharply by family income. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $13,516; for the middle band ($48,001–$75,000) it is $19,539; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $56,116.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $42,600, a difference of averages that reflects the university's high-sticker, high-aid model. Azimuth ranks the university #1,100 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $57,560. The average net price across all aid recipients is $32,740, which sits below the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,471.

The sticker price is high, but the aid structure brings the net cost for lower- and middle-income families well below the published figure. The high-income band still faces a substantial average net price.

Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $18,000. That median sits below the peer median of $23,168 by $5,168, and about 84.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

For a graduate at the median four-year earnings, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $205 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS hold a separate median of $31,803.

Federal borrowing is widespread at University of Southern California: 84.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student debt is $18,000.

That median is $5,168 below the peer median of $23,168 for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $205 a month.

Parent borrowers are a separate population, with a median of $31,803 in Parent PLUS loans. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 34% of its 3,978 bachelor's graduates had borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative debt of $26,805 per borrower.

Of those graduates, 35% held federal loans averaging $16,568. Six percent held private loans averaging $65,401.

The University of Southern California's strongest pillar is mobility, where Azimuth ranks it #70 among nonprofit four-year institutions. On the return side, the median earnings four years after completion reach $95,739, placing in the 96th percentile.

Graduates earn about $10,530 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 17th percentile. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $95,739, with a downside scenario of $58,319 and an upside scenario of $134,498.

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median federal student debt of $18,000, which is below the $23,168 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $205.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $31,803. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $205.

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.