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Columbia vs University of Southern California (USC)

Columbia University and the University of Southern California (USC) stand as two prominent institutions of higher learning, each offering a distinct academic experience. Columbia, nestled in the heart of New York City, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 6.1%, while USC, located in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, offers a slightly higher acceptance rate of 16%. Both universities attract a diverse student body, with Columbia's student population comprising 26% international students and USC's student body reflecting a 13% international student population. While Columbia's student body leans slightly female at 53%, USC's student body is evenly split between male and female students. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these esteemed universities, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your academic journey.
Columbia University logo

Columbia University

 		University of Southern California logo

University of Southern California

Overview

Location New York, New York Los Angeles, California
Campus setting City: Large 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 99.0% 96.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 4.1% 12.5%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $85
Graduate: $120
Undergraduate: $85
Graduate: $90
SAT range 1470 - 1570 1410 - 1540
ACT range 34 - 35 32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 43.0% 31.0%
Students submitting ACT score 28.0% 19.0%
Total number of applicants 61,110 71,031
Total number of admissions given out 2,524 8,884
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,641 3,668
Yield rate 65.0% 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) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $90,882 $81,659
Average net price $12,411 $26,021
Tuition $60,514 $60,446
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,450
Meal plan: $6,000
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)

 53.0%
Average amount $57,726 		72.0%
Average amount $40,690
Students receiving federal student loan 7.0%
Average amount $5,511 		22.0%
Average amount $4,215
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $34,119 		2.0%
Average amount $29,056

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students 8,832
Men 50.6% Women 49.4% 		20,790
Men 48.5% Women 51.5%
Graduate students 24,944
Men 44.8% Women 55.2% 		28,528
Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A 49.9%
International students 37.0% 23.8%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Large
Dormitory capacity 13,071 8,700
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A California Texas New York Illinois Florida

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio 6:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 97.4% 92.0%
Dropout rate 1.7% 7.2%
Transferred out 0.7% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $193,362
  • Year 2: $180,752
  • Year 3: $230,020
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $162,427
  • Year 2: $170,426
  • Year 3: $179,305
Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $153,730
  • Year 2: $160,605
  • Year 3: $167,216
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $133,851
  • Year 2: $143,033
  • Year 3: $166,695
Operations Research (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $111,312
  • Year 2: $114,503
  • Year 3: $148,040
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,903
  • Year 2: $103,078
  • Year 3: $135,658
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $115,222
  • Year 2: $127,993
  • Year 3: $131,926
Construction Management (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $98,322
  • Year 2: $110,878
  • Year 3: $125,926
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $111,569
  • Year 2: $109,659
  • Year 3: $119,899
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,223
  • Year 2: $100,127
  • Year 3: $118,332
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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The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
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