Continuing Students
Our Commitment to Affordability
USC administers one of the largest financial aid programs in the United States and works with families to meet 100 percent of the USC-determined financial need for students who meet all deadlines and eligibility requirements.
How much financial aid does USC award to undergraduates?
$464,300,000
Financial aid from all university sources exceeds $464 million.
$606,100,000
The total gift aid to undergraduates from all sources (university, federal, state, other) in 2021-22 (more than 75 percent of all aid awarded).
$773,400,000
Amount of financial aid disbursed from all sources for 2019-20 (including work-study and loans).
Between 2017-18 and 2021-22, university need-based grant funding increased at an annual growth rate of 11.6%. During the same period, tuition increased at an annual growth rate of 3.1%.
What percentage of USC’s undergraduates receive financial aid?
More than two-thirds of USC undergraduates receive some sort of financial aid, including need-based grants, merit scholarships, Federal Work-Study and loans. Among the 2022 entering first-year class, approximately 22 percent received a USC merit-based scholarship.
USC enrolls more than 4,400 low-income undergraduate students, as defined by Pell Grant eligibility—more than most private research universities. In fall 2022, 22 percent of enrolled undergraduates received Pell Grants. Most importantly, low-income and under-represented minority students at USC graduate at rates comparable to the overall undergraduate population.
USC is need-blind in its admission process. Ability to pay, or a student's interest in financial aid, has no bearing on admission decisions.
We work with families to meet the full demonstrated financial need for students who satisfy all deadlines and eligibility requirements.
USC’s Financial Aid Calculators
Many students and families are surprised to learn that a USC education may be more affordable than they think. Our Financial Aid Calculators allow prospective students and their families to estimate their own cost of attendance and potential eligibility for certain types of financial aid.
Students and families should note, however, that estimates are based on prior-year figures for tuition, fees, books, and housing costs. The Financial Aid Calculators cannot substitute for a full review of a family’s finances. Amounts shown are estimates only and not a guarantee of financial aid. Visit USC’s Financial Aid Calculators.
Investing in Your Future: Financial Aid and USC
The information contained in the Investing in Your Future: Financial Aid and USC booklet will help explain the financial aid process at USC and other schools. To download the booklet, please click on the links on the sidebar.
