Brandeis vs University of Southern California (USC)

Brandeis University and the University of Southern California (USC) are two distinct institutions of higher learning that offer unique educational experiences. Brandeis, a private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, is known for its rigorous academics, strong liberal arts foundation, and vibrant Jewish heritage. USC, a private research university in Los Angeles, California, is renowned for its diverse student body, world-class faculty, and exceptional programs in film, music, and engineering. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Brandeis University	University of Southern California
Overview
Location	Waltham, Massachusetts	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	39.1%	12.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $90
SAT range	1370 - 1530	1410 - 1540
ACT range	31 - 34	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	9,796	71,031
Total number of admissions given out	3,834	8,884
Admitted students who chose to enroll	943	3,668
Yield rate	24.6%	41.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$75,006	$81,659
Average net price	$35,147	$26,021
Tuition	$59,408	$60,446
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,380 Meal plan: $7,070	Room/dormitory: $10,098 Meal plan: $6,634
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	83.0% Average amount $29,119	72.0% Average amount $40,690
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $3,948	22.0% Average amount $4,215
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $22,397	2.0% Average amount $29,056

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,591 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%	20,790 Men 48.5% Women 51.5%
Graduate students	1,967 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	28,528 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	49.9%
International students	25.4%	23.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,950	8,700
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York New Jersey California Connecticut	California Texas New York Illinois Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Computer and Information Science	Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.5%	92.0%
Dropout rate	4.5%	7.2%
Transferred out	7.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,340 Year 2: $80,309 Year 3: $101,400 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,678 Year 2: $72,214 Year 3: $85,160 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,105 Year 2: $66,401 Year 3: $70,790 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,731 Year 2: $55,840 Year 3: $64,826 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,010 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $63,166 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,126 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $59,597 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $49,902 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,983 Year 2: $44,356 Year 3: $49,523 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,142 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $47,023 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,477 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $46,669	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $104,166 Year 2: $187,234 Year 3: $221,418 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $167,228 Year 2: $163,225 Year 3: $161,094 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $106,344 Year 2: $126,683 Year 3: $148,434 Marketing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $113,473 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $147,381 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,796 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $146,357 Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $79,420 Year 2: $88,198 Year 3: $140,330 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $127,841 Year 2: $131,090 Year 3: $140,129 Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,775 Year 2: $135,393 Year 3: $136,848 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $121,676 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $134,632 Real Estate Development (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $119,991 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $125,784

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Brandeis

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