NorthWestern vs University of Southern California (USC)

Northwestern University and University of Southern California, two prestigious private research universities, offer distinct educational experiences. Northwestern, located in Evanston, Illinois, boasts a lower acceptance rate (9.1%) compared to USC's (16.5%). Both universities offer a diverse range of popular majors, with Northwestern excelling in fields like engineering, economics, and political science, while USC shines in areas such as film and television production, business, and music. Northwestern's student body is slightly smaller and more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students. USC, on the other hand, has a larger student body with a higher proportion of California residents. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Northwestern's slightly higher at 94% compared to USC's 91%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northwestern University	University of Southern California
Overview
Location	Evanston, Illinois	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	Quarter	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	7.0%	12.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95	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	39.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	47,636	71,031
Total number of admissions given out	3,321	8,884
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,086	3,668
Yield rate	62.8%	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	$83,838	$81,659
Average net price	$29,999	$26,021
Tuition	$60,276	$60,446
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993	Room/dormitory: $10,098 Meal plan: $6,634
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	57.0% Average amount $51,087	72.0% Average amount $40,690
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $4,625	22.0% Average amount $4,215
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,595	2.0% Average amount $29,056

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	20,790 Men 48.5% Women 51.5%
Graduate students	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%	28,528 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	49.9%
International students	17.8%	23.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,409	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 Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession	Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.2%	92.0%
Dropout rate	4.2%	7.2%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,242 Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $221,242 Business/Commerce, General (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $216,176 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $187,194 Year 2: $170,971 Year 3: $206,288 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,709 Year 2: $189,565 Year 3: $194,961 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,478 Year 2: $163,561 Year 3: $177,652 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,200 Year 2: $157,779 Year 3: $159,304 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $140,321 Year 2: $141,586 Year 3: $154,556 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,288 Year 2: $118,465 Year 3: $132,325 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,780 Year 2: $111,323 Year 3: $130,124 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $128,046	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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NorthWestern

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