Fledge

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA · “USC”

  • National University
  • Private
  • Urban campus
  • Temperate climate

Known for: Business/Management/Marketing, Social Sciences, Visual & Performing Arts

A private research university in Los Angeles, CA. About 10 of every 100 applicants get in. It gives merit scholarships to international students, not need-based aid.

If you apply from Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar → Los Angeles

  • English: TOEFL 100 · IELTS 7 · Duolingo 130
  • Early Action deadline: Nov 1
Los Angeles · 5 universities here →
US News National
#28
QS World
#153
THE World
#73
Forbes
#28
After the average intl award
Full price before aid: ≈$99k/yr
Applies if admitted
Admit rate
9.8%
of applicants get in
Undergrads
20,443
13% international
Next deadline
Nov 1
Early Action

Plus shows 6 more facts about this school ↓

Getting in

About 10% of applicants are admitted. It is test-optional, so you do not have to send SAT or ACT scores, though strong ones still help.

About 10 of every 100 applicants get in. Not your own odds.
Test policy
Test-optional, for international students too
Admit rate for internationals
Not published by the school
SAT, middle 50%
1450–1550
ACT, middle 50%
32–35
Early Action
Nov 1
Priority
Dec 1
Regular Decision
Jan 15
TOEFL iBT minimum
100
min 100 iBT (20 per section); new TOEFL min 5 (4 per section). Admitted avg ~111
IELTS minimum
7
Duolingo (DET) minimum
130
DET accepted; min 130 (DET-only admits must take USC ALI exam at matriculation)
SAT or ACT can replace the English test
Yes

Watch out: Admission is highly competitive: only about 10% of applicants are admitted, so outcomes are unpredictable even for strong students.

Cost & aid

Full price is about $99k a year before aid. Internationals who get aid here pay less. Plus shows how much less.

  • Tuition & fees $72k
  • Room & board $20k
  • Other fees $3k
  • Health insurance $4k
$98,570 a year, all in
Cost after the average intl award
Aid for internationals
Merit
Asking for aidThey decide whether to admit you without looking at your ability to pay, so asking for financial aid does not lower your chances.
Part of the admission decision (need-aware)
Covers all proven needIf they admit you, they cover the full gap between what your family can pay and the total cost, usually with grants you do not repay.
Not published by the school
Internationals who get aid
Biggest merit scholarship for internationals
Average award for internationals
Yearly aid budget for internationals
Application fee
Waiver available
International applicants can get the fee waived. Ask admissions before paying anything.
Local living costs
102.7 (New York = 100)
Expect big-city daily costs.

6more facts about this school in Plus

  • Cost after the average intl award

    What an international student who gets aid pays here in a year, on average.

  • Biggest merit scholarship for internationals. Its name, top amount, what it covers and whether it renews.

  • Average award for internationals. How much aid an international student gets, and what share of the full price it covers.

Internationals who get aid · Yearly aid budget for internationals · Majors with the STEM work extension

And 4 more: Average award for internationals · Internationals who get aid · Yearly aid budget for internationals · Majors with the STEM work extension

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Work & visa

OPT lets graduates work in the US for a year after graduation, and STEM majors can add two more years.

  1. Study
  2. OPT 1 year
  3. STEM OPT +2 years
Majors with the STEM work extension
CPT internships
Yes
Work off campus in your field while you study
On-campus jobs
Yes
Earn while enrolled, no extra visa needed
Adviser for international students
Yes
Immigration and visa support on campus
Undergraduate research
Yes
Co-op built into the curriculum
No
IB or A-level credit recognised
Yes
Your diploma can earn course credit
Visa compliance record
No known SEVIS issues on record

Life & outcomes

96% of first-year students return for a second year. 92% graduate within six years. Graduates start around $74k a year. About 13% of undergraduates are international.

First-year students who return95.9%
Graduate in 4 years74.5%
Graduate in 6 years91.8%
Median starting salary
$74,461
All graduates, all majors. Your field will vary.
Undergraduates
20,443
International undergraduates
2,715
Share that is international
13%
Countries represented
130
Top employers of international graduates
Deloitte, Baidu, Alibaba Group, Microsoft, Google, Ernst & Young

Similar universities

Where this comes from

34% of this school's fields are individually verified. Last checked Jul 2, 2026. Figures are for guidance, so always confirm on the school's official pages before you rely on them.

Data sources
Main source
College Scorecard (06/2026 release); THE World University Rankings 2026; Intl-aid/CoL batch (2026-06): Numbeo CoL Index; need-blind list per Wikipedia+aggregators; B5/D3 batch (2026-07): co-op per institutional programs; I-20 industry-norm default; SEVIS none-known default; CDS 2024-2025: AppFee/Deadlines/OtherFees (https://oir.usc.edu/common-data-set-archive/common-data-set-); English-req/test-policy: official intl-admissions pages (2026-07); IntlMisc (countries/SHIP/funnel/outcomes): official intl/ISSS/career pages (2026-07); Programs: IPEDS/Scorecard PCIP (Most-Recent-Cohorts, 2024) [Jul 1, 2026]; STEM-OPT %: DHS STEM List 2024 (6-digit) × Scorecard programs (4-digit CIP, split families adj.) [Jul 1, 2026]; FeeWaiver+fee re-verified Jul 1, 2026 (official/web)

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