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Career outcomes brief

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# University of Southern California Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-southern-california/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-southern-california/cost/)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 do USC graduates earn?

The reported median is $95,739 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $83,615 as its benchmark; the difference is $12,124 per year.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) University of Southern California #158 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. The return pillar sits in the 89th percentile nationally.

An earnings-beyond-expectations outcome in the 17th percentile nationally: graduates earn about $10,530 less than the model expects for similar students. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,545.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $20,075. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,409.

Median earnings four years after completion are $95,739 for working completers not enrolled, a level in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That median runs above the peer median of $83,615 by $12,124 among comparable institutions (same type and size).

Earnings at University of Southern California vary widely with program choice. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from a downside of $58,319 to an upside of $134,498, with a typical scenario of $95,739.

The upside scenario coincides with high earnings in programs such as Computer Science, where graduates earn a median of $192,897 four years after completion, and Computer Engineering at $166,369. The downside scenario shows the lower-earning end of the program mix.

An estimated 29.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$95,739

**Rank for difference from expectations**
18th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**USC reported median**
$95,739

**Peer schools comparable schools · $12,124 below USC**
$83,615

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $10,530 above USC**
$106,269

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How many USC first-year students return?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

**Returned the following fall**
95.2%

Source: University of Southern California Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention.

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $58,319 to $134,498, around the reported median of $95,739. Compare the lower scenario with [USC borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-southern-california/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

**Lower estimate**
$58,319

**Median · reported**
$95,739

**Higher estimate**
$134,498

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

[Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do USC graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added).

USC graduates’ reported earnings are $10,530 below that expectation, the 18th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending USC caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
+$9,545

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$20,075

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$10,530

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at USC report the highest earnings?

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 42 bachelor's programs at University of Southern California, and the highest-earning fields cluster in engineering and computing. Computer Science tops the list with a median of $192,897 four years after completion, alongside 287 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #15.

Computer Engineering follows at $166,369 on 45 degrees awarded. Among the university's largest programs, earnings spread widely.

Business Administration and Management, the biggest by degrees awarded at 832, shows a median of $109,128 and an Azimuth national rank of #11. Communication and Media Studies awards 326 degrees and reports $75,864, while Human Biology reaches $69,751 on 261 degrees awarded and holds an Azimuth national rank of #3.

The university has 42 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, with earnings data available for 50 fields. Its highest nationally ranked program is Fine and Studio Arts, which holds the #1 spot in its field and also ranks #1 in California.

It awarded 69 degrees, and graduates earn a median of $72,428 four years after completion. Business Administration and Management is the largest program by degrees awarded, with 832 degrees awarded and a national rank of #11; its graduates earn a median of $109,128.

Computer Science delivers the highest median earnings among the university's programs at $192,897, alongside 287 degrees awarded and a national rank of #15. Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering ranks #1 nationally and #1 in California, with 49 degrees awarded and a median of $125,514.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Science**
$192,897

**Computer Engineering**
$166,369

**Real Estate**
$143,977

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$131,532

**Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering**
$125,514

**Accounting and Related Services**
$121,101

**Computer Software and Media Applications**
$115,839

**Industrial Engineering**
$112,150

[Explore USC program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-southern-california/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show a downside of $58,319, a typical outcome of $95,739, and an upside of $134,498. Anchoring the range in named programs, Computer Science graduates earn a median of $192,897 four years after completion, while Human Biology, one of the largest programs, sits at $69,751.

The University of Southern California's earnings picture is shaped by a large cohort of 5,232 federally aided completers, whose median earnings four years after completion reach $95,739. That figure sits in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions and is above the $83,615 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $12,124.

Graduates earn about $10,530 less than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 17th percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios, which reflect the university's program mix, point to a typical outcome of $95,739, a lower-bound scenario of $58,319, and an upper-bound scenario of $134,498.

An estimated 29.4% of the programs' graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the program mix.

## 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/).