Tulane vs University of Southern California (USC)

Tulane University of Louisiana and University of Southern California, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Tulane, nestled in the vibrant city of New Orleans, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on undergraduate research. USC, located in the heart of Los Angeles, is renowned for its film and performing arts programs and its commitment to community engagement. With acceptance rates of 13% and 11%, respectively, both universities are highly selective. While Tulane's student body is predominantly female, USC's is more evenly balanced. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' popular majors, graduation rates, and other key differences, and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Tulane University of Louisiana	University of Southern California
Overview
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana	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	94.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	9.6%	12.5%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $90
SAT range	1360 - 1510	1410 - 1540
ACT range	30 - 33	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	15.0%	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	41.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	45,525	71,031
Total number of admissions given out	4,385	8,884
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,027	3,668
Yield rate	46.2%	41.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$81,232	$81,659
Average net price	$45,048	$26,021
Tuition	$56,684	$60,446
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,608 Meal plan: $7,170	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)	72.0% Average amount $29,882	72.0% Average amount $40,690
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $5,176	22.0% Average amount $4,215
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $25,765	2.0% Average amount $29,056

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,700 Men 38.8% Women 61.2%	20,790 Men 48.5% Women 51.5%
Graduate students	5,347 Men 39.1% Women 60.9%	28,528 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	91.5%	49.9%
International students	10.6%	23.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,072	8,700
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California New York Louisiana Texas Illinois	California Texas New York Illinois Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Legal Profession Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences	Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.0%	92.0%
Dropout rate	3.1%	7.2%
Transferred out	10.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,779 Year 2: $102,409 Year 3: $114,342 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,001 Year 2: $87,973 Year 3: $92,405 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,044 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $91,413 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $56,951 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $79,920 Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $62,799 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $77,968 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,364 Year 2: $64,281 Year 3: $76,254 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,671 Year 2: $64,629 Year 3: $76,103 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,159 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $75,677 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $57,475 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $67,867 Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,288 Year 3: $66,473	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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