The Pros and Cons of USC

What is USC’s reputation?

“incredible school spirit” “clean and beautiful campus” “#1 Film School in America” “best known for business, CS, engineering, communications, and the arts” “great SoCal weather” “vibrant social scene” “work hard-play hard culture” “something for everyone” “lots of beautiful people” “lots of wealthy kids from California” “tons of legacy students” “children of celebrities” “small class sizes” “individualized attention” “happy student body” “big party school” “legendary tailgating scene” “more Olympic athletes than any other school” “excellent alumni network” “more than a few public scandals” “they have a 24-7 Sprinkles cupcake ATM machine”

The University of Southern California is a very large private university in downtown Los Angeles with 21,000 undergraduates and 11 different undergraduate colleges, including: Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, Journalism, Film, Dance, Music, Design, and Architecture. But despite its massive size, USC boasts lots of small classes, plenty of one-on-one face time with professors, easy access to research opportunities, and an attentive administration that caters to students’ needs — all of which explains the staggering $95,000/year price tag.

A brief history.

For years, USC was known as the “University of Spoiled Children” because that’s where rich kids who couldn’t get into UCLA would go. Then there were sports scandals where USC paid recruited athletes to attend, violating NCAA rules. Then there was the infamous Varsity Blues scandal, where children of wealthy celebrities bribed admissions officers. All of this is true: USC has repeatedly used money to game the system. But over the last 20 years, they’ve also invested vast amounts of money to recruit world-class professors, and build cutting-edge programs and facilities, all of which have transformed the school into a Top 30 university.

These days, it’s one of the rare universities that checks all the boxes for many students: 1) leading academics, 2) tremendous school spirit, 3) big sports culture, 4) sunny California weather, 5) a great campus, 6) strategic access to LA internships and jobs, and 6) one of the best alumni networks anywhere. It was a bumpy ride, but in many ways, USC has finally arrived and claimed its spot on the national stage.

The Pros of USC…

#1: Something for Everyone — Many people know USC for the nation’s #1-ranked film program (including TV, music, and performing arts). But it also has a Top 10 undergraduate business program, a Top 20 CS program, a Top 30 engineering program, etc. At USC, you can study pretty much anything you want, and they have the world-class faculty and facilities to support you.

#2: School Spirit — USC’s school spirit is legendary, and this is one of those schools where everyone rallies together to tailgate and support their football team. Plus their marching band in one of the best in the nation. (You can hear them on Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk.”) And it’s not just football: USC excels in a wide variety of sports and has produced more Olympians than any other university.

#3: Beautiful Campus — Located near downtown Los Angeles, USC benefits from warm SoCal weather and many students wear shorts and t-shirts year-round. The campus itself is safe and immaculate, and has often been compared to Disneyland (which is only an hour and a half away). Quality public transportation in LA is limited, but you can drive or Uber anywhere in the city for concerts, professional sports, amazing restaurants, or the beach, which is about 30 minutes away.

#4: Alumni Network — USC has one of the strongest alumni networks anywhere (aka “Trojans for Life”), particularly within the state of California, since that’s where 60% of students are from. The alumni network is indispensable for helping students find internships and jobs after graduation. And remember, Los Angeles is a global leader in technology, entertainment, shipping, aerospace, life sciences, and tourism.

#5: Marshall Business — USC Marshall is one of the Top 10 undergraduate business programs in the country. It’s particularly strong in Entrepreneurship (#14), International Business (#9), Accounting (#8), Management (#14), Marketing (#13), Finance (#24), and Real Estate (#3). Beyond the business school, USC ranks #30 in the nation for Economics.

#6: Specialty Programs — USC offers a number of innovative academic programs that you can’t find anywhere else. For example, the Business of Cinematic Arts (CBA) program prepares you for the business of entertainment. AI for Business (BUAI) prepares you to be the next Chief Data Officer. And the Iovine and Young Academy (IYA) combines arts, tech and business for creative entrepreneurs. But be forewarned: acceptance to these programs is extremely competitive, perhaps as low as 5%.

The Cons of USC…

#1: Downtown LA — While the USC campus is clean and safe, the rest of downtown LA is gritty and dangerous. There are homeless people everywhere, crime is common, and there’s not that much to do in the immediate vicinity. Also, it gets oppressively hot and smoggy in the summer. Many people consider downtown the worst part of LA, so plan on spending most of your time on campus.

#2: Greek Life — If you’re looking for a school that has a big party reputation, you’ll be in heaven. Greek life is a huge part of the social scene. And if you’re a girl, it’s fairly easy, because you can basically just walk into any frat party. But if you’re a guy, and you’re not a member of the frat, you have to know someone to get in, and even then, you have to pay a hefty cover charge of about $50.

#3: Lots of Rich Kids — These days, USC has tremendous diversity, with a healthy mix of students: 21% White, 19% Hispanic, 18% Asian, 17% International, and 7% Black. This level of diversity is actually better than most top schools. On the other hand, the school maintains its reputation for admitting tons of uber-wealthy kids with their expensive handbags and fancy cars, including children of celebrities and wealthy legacies. In fact, about 15% of all students are legacies.

#4: Course Restrictions — While USC encourages students to take classes from any of the different undergraduate colleges on campus (for example: bio majors can take a screenwriting class, and engineering majors can study entrepreneurship), the school restricts the number and types of courses you can take. There are often prerequisites you must complete, and you sometimes have to declare a minor in the field before you have access to the courses you want.

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It might be sacrilegious to say so, but (private) USC and its public crosstown rival UCLA actually have quite a bit in common: they’re both gigantic, they both have vibrant social scenes, they both have beautiful people and big sports cultures, and they both have a wide range of excellent academic departments.

For in-state residents, tuition at UCLA is far less expensive ($15K at UCLA vs. $70K at USC). And UCLA’s location in Westwood is much better because you can walk into town, the air is cleaner, the temperature is nicer, the campus food is better, there’s lots of greenery and rolling hills, and you’re only about 15 minutes to the beach. On the other hand, UCLA has a lot of huge lecture classes, there’s more of a competitive cut-throat mentality, and the school is bogged down in bureaucracy. With USC, you get much more individualized attention and personalized hand-holding, because let’s face: you’re paying for it.

How to get into USC…

#1: Applying EA — You can apply to USC either through Early Action (November) or Regular Decision (January). Applying EA does not confer any kind of admissions advantage (7% for EA vs. 8% for RD), but you have to apply early if you want to apply to certain specialty programs. Note that USC does not reject any applicants in the early round: you’re either admitted (7%) or deferred (93%). If you are deferred, you have about a 5% chance of being admitted through Regular Decision in the Spring.

#2: New ED Option for Marshall Business - Starting Fall 2025, USC will experiment with a new Early Decision (binding) option for the Marshall School of Business only. If you’re applying to any other college at USC, you only have an EA or RD option. Because this ED option is brand new, we don’t know if applying early will provide any kind of admissions advantage, but we’re willing to bet that it will.

#3: Extracurricular Achievement - If you look at a school like UCLA, you pretty much need a 3.8 or higher GPA (unweighted) to have any chance of getting in. But USC takes a much more holistic approach. Yes, having a stellar GPA helps. But plenty of students get admitted with less-than-perfect grades if they have really compelling extracurricular achievements or a really good backstory. Their formula for admissions if much less rigid, and that can work to your advantage.

#4: Legacy Preference - Historically, USC has given strong preference to legacy applicants, and about 15% of students at USC are legacies. A new 2025 law bans legacy admissions preferences in California, but it remains to be seen whether this new law has any effect at all. In all likelihood, it will not.