Quad

Head-to-head

Boston
U. Southern California

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Southern California grads earn $9.3K more ten years out than Boston's ($92,498 vs. $83,238)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    U. Southern California has 8 pts more first-gen students than Boston (25% vs. 17%)

    First-generation students
  3. 3

    U. Southern California graduates 6 pts more of its students than Boston (93% vs. 87%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    U. Southern California has 3 pts more Pell recipients than Boston (22% vs. 19%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    U. Southern California's SAT midpoint is 30 points higher than Boston's

    SAT midpoint
  6. 6

    U. Southern California's yield is 3 pts higher than Boston's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Boston admits 11%, U. Southern California 11%; U. Southern California's yield is higher, at 40%.

Acceptance rate
Boston11%
U. Southern California11%
Quad's selectivity
  • BostonHighly selective
  • U. Southern CaliforniaHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Boston
1420–1530
U. Southern California
1470–1540
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • BostonGPA, school record, and prep program required78%
  • U. Southern CaliforniaRigor and GPA very important80%

Who's on each campus

U. Southern California is a bit larger than Boston (20,443 vs. 18,248 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Boston18.2K
U. Southern California20.4K
Pell Grant share
Boston19%
U. Southern California22%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at Boston, and Management Science at U. Southern California.

Students per faculty member
Boston10 to 1
U. Southern California9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • BostonBusiness Administration and Management, General15%
  • U. Southern CaliforniaManagement Science22%

What each costs

Boston costs about $1.6K less a year than U. Southern California on average; U. Southern California's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Boston$56.2K
U. Southern California$57.8K
Aid generosity
Boston35%
U. Southern California36%

What each pays off

U. Southern California's former students earn more, a median $92.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Boston$83.2K
U. Southern California$92.5K
Graduation rate
Boston87%
U. Southern California93%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • BostonGrowing+45%
  • U. Southern CaliforniaGrowing+58%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Boston University Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;University of Southern California (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of Southern California Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why