Quad

Head-to-head

Columbia
U. Southern California

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Columbia's yield is 21 pts higher than U. Southern California's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Columbia is 2.3× more selective than U. Southern California

    Acceptance rate
  3. 3

    U. Southern California has 2.3× as many undergrads as Columbia

    Undergrads
  4. 4

    Columbia grads earn $10K more ten years out than U. Southern California's ($102,491 vs. $92,498)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Columbia costs about $3.1K less per year on average than U. Southern California ($54,653 vs. $57,793, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  6. 6

    Columbia's SAT midpoint is 34 points higher than U. Southern California's

    SAT midpoint

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

Columbia admits 4.9%, U. Southern California 11%; Columbia's yield is higher, at 61%.

Acceptance rate
Columbia4.9%
U. Southern California11%
Quad's selectivity
  • ColumbiaUltra selective
  • U. Southern CaliforniaHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1400–1600
Columbia
1510–1560
U. Southern California
1470–1540
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • ColumbiaRigor, GPA, and rank very importantweighted GPAs
  • U. Southern CaliforniaRigor and GPA very important80%

Who's on each campus

U. Southern California has 2.3× as many undergrads as Columbia; Columbia has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Columbia9K
U. Southern California20.4K
Pell Grant share
Columbia23%
U. Southern California22%

Majors and faculty

Computer Science leads at Columbia, and Management Science at U. Southern California; Columbia has 6 students per faculty member to U. Southern California's 9.

Students per faculty member
Columbia6 to 1
U. Southern California9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • ColumbiaComputer Science15%
  • U. Southern CaliforniaManagement Science22%

What each costs

Columbia costs about $3.1K less a year than U. Southern California on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Columbia$54.7K
U. Southern California$57.8K
Aid generosity
Columbia39%
U. Southern California36%

What each pays off

Columbia's former students earn more, a median $102.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Columbia$102.5K
U. Southern California$92.5K
Graduation rate
Columbia93%
U. Southern California93%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Southern California got more selective while Columbia held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • ColumbiaGrowing+82%
  • 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:Columbia University in the City of New York (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Columbia University in the City of New York Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Columbia University in the City of New York Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;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