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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Southern California Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-southern-california/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/university-of-southern-california/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-southern-california/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-southern-california/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-southern-california/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does USC cost after financial aid?

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

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported sticker charges of $2,047 in required fees and $19,200 for on-campus food and housing for that academic year. After financial aid, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $32,740, a savings of $57,560 against the sticker price.

Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. That average net price sits below the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,471.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,100 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price drops to $13,516, reflecting a pricing structure where aid scales steeply with need.

University of Southern California shows an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $32,740 for aid recipients, below the median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,471. Azimuth places the university in the 22nd percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For completers who used federal loans, median federal student debt is $18,000, below the peer median of $23,168 by $5,168. The average net price is $13,516 for the lowest-income band and $56,116 for the highest.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a steep gradient. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $13,516; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $14,394; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $19,539; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $24,976; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $56,116.

Pell Grant recipients make up 22.2% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $42,600.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$13,516

**$30–48K**
$14,394

**$48–75K**
$19,539

**$75–110K**
$24,976

**$110K+**
$56,116

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$32,740**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) hold a separate median of $31,803.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $31,803. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $205.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$31,803

**Estimated parent payment**
$404/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$18,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$31,803

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$205/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$404/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$609/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $95,739, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**3.4%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=university-of-southern-california#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.