---
title: University of Southern California — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Los Angeles, CA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $92,498 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $58,692 – $141,338 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $16,112 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $9,927 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 92% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $90,300 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 86% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.17× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $64,498 | derived |

**92% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $16,112 (≈ 17% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $15,281 to $167,228 across 114 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $167,228 | $96,260 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $143,726 | not reported |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other. | Master's Degree | $135,775 | $51,250 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $127,841 | $77,686 |
| Systems Engineering. | Master's Degree | $125,714 | not reported |
| Law. | First Professional Degree | $121,676 | $138,518 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Master's Degree | $121,309 | $232,660 |
| Real Estate Development. | Master's Degree | $119,991 | not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Master's Degree | $114,239 | $73,316 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration. | Doctoral Degree | $113,547 | $283,763 |
| Marketing. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $113,473 | $95,362 |
| Computer Science. | Master's Degree | $110,796 | $51,250 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Master's Degree | $108,989 | not reported |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $107,619 | not reported |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration. | Master's Degree | $107,222 | not reported |
| Computer Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $106,621 | $6,625 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration. | First Professional Degree | $106,344 | $234,278 |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $104,298 | $19,625 |
| Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $104,166 | $252,481 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Doctoral Degree | $99,851 | $99,714 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering. | Master's Degree | $99,666 | $55,288 |
| Engineering, Other. | Master's Degree | $97,458 | $30,125 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. | Master's Degree | $93,128 | $60,405 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Master's Degree | $92,527 | not reported |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $89,979 | not reported |
| Dentistry. | First Professional Degree | $84,839 | $439,325 |
| Civil Engineering. | Master's Degree | $81,695 | not reported |
| Taxation. | Master's Degree | $81,685 | $50,834 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $81,661 | $18,497 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $80,572 | $79,250 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $79,420 | $75,568 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $78,078 | $20,030 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. | Master's Degree | $76,738 | $65,600 |
| Real Estate. | Bachelor's Degree | $75,665 | $19,500 |
| Civil Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $75,576 | $8,125 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $74,693 | $14,250 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $74,136 | $108,346 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. | Doctoral Degree | $73,500 | $210,709 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications. | Bachelor's Degree | $72,085 | not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. | Master's Degree | $71,321 | $136,289 |
| Industrial Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $70,709 | $17,704 |
| Dispute Resolution. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $68,397 | $56,326 |
| Public Administration. | Master's Degree | $68,264 | $75,887 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Master's Degree | $67,923 | not reported |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $66,674 | $30,556 |
| Chemical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $66,458 | $13,000 |
| Geography and Cartography. | Master's Degree | $65,686 | $58,405 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $65,462 | $48,666 |
| Real Estate Development. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $65,148 | not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,797 | $16,491 |
| Public Policy Analysis. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $63,791 | $85,385 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Master's Degree | $63,499 | $70,426 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,573 | $15,750 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology. | Master's Degree | $62,067 | $118,666 |
| Applied Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,861 | $12,251 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning. | Master's Degree | $61,621 | $57,982 |
| Medicine. | First Professional Degree | $61,414 | $234,702 |
| Real Estate Development. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,983 | $17,375 |
| Architecture. | Master's Degree | $60,864 | not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Master's Degree | $57,415 | $61,632 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $57,225 | $69,961 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations. | Master's Degree | $56,947 | $58,425 |
| Geography and Cartography. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $55,848 | $41,000 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,837 | $13,850 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies. | Master's Degree | $54,250 | $66,790 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,160 | $13,750 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,003 | $30,500 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Master's Degree | $52,873 | $82,426 |
| Public Policy Analysis. | Master's Degree | $52,304 | $81,516 |
| Public Health. | Master's Degree | $51,640 | $83,937 |
| Architecture. | Bachelor's Degree | $50,964 | not reported |
| Gerontology. | Master's Degree | $50,914 | $66,250 |
| Social Work. | Master's Degree | $50,797 | $125,849 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $49,443 | $60,487 |
| Cognitive Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,368 | $18,250 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,625 | $13,247 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $48,557 | $98,855 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $48,045 | $68,331 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. | Master's Degree | $47,828 | $130,999 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,759 | $19,500 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. | Master's Degree | $46,690 | $80,255 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,379 | $15,875 |
| Journalism. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,188 | $15,000 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,115 | not reported |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. | Master's Degree | $43,485 | $118,051 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language. | Master's Degree | $43,457 | $66,499 |
| Library Science and Administration. | Master's Degree | $42,614 | $83,905 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,043 | $12,000 |
| Journalism. | Master's Degree | $37,963 | $48,232 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,102 | $9,625 |
| Music. | Doctoral Degree | $36,397 | not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,038 | $20,000 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,793 | $19,500 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,924 | $14,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Master's Degree | $34,673 | $108,033 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,909 | $3,000 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,628 | $20,353 |
| Public Health. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,704 | $15,000 |
| Human Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,297 | $14,481 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,963 | $12,138 |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,631 | $18,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,913 | $19,750 |
| Philosophy. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,506 | $7,500 |
| Social Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,365 | not reported |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts. | Master's Degree | $28,279 | $167,503 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,886 | $14,000 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,988 | $4,618 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,981 | $12,000 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,569 | $3,000 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,653 | $19,131 |
| Music. | Master's Degree | $22,177 | $64,278 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $18,394 | not reported |
| Music. | Bachelor's Degree | $17,245 | $19,839 |
| Music. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $15,281 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore University of Southern California by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?123961

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/university-of-southern-california-ca.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`