Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    New York's yield is 15 pts higher than U. Southern California's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    U. Southern California's grants cover 36% of its full price on average, vs. 23% at New York

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    U. Southern California costs about $10K less per year on average than New York ($57,793 vs. $67,760, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    U. Southern California grads earn $10K more ten years out than New York's ($92,498 vs. $82,509)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    U. Southern California graduates 6 pts more of its students than New York (93% vs. 88%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    New York is a bit larger (28,663 vs. 20,443)

    Undergrads

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

New York admits 9.2%, U. Southern California 11%; New York's yield is higher, at 55%.

Acceptance rate
New York9.2%
U. Southern California11%
Quad's selectivity
  • New YorkUltra selective
  • U. Southern CaliforniaHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1400–1600
New York
1480–1560
U. Southern California
1470–1540
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • New YorkGPA and school record required
  • U. Southern CaliforniaRigor and GPA very important80%

Who's on each campus

New York is a bit larger than U. Southern California (28,663 vs. 20,443 undergrads); U. Southern California has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
New York28.7K
U. Southern California20.4K
Pell Grant share
New York18%
U. Southern California22%

Majors and faculty

Management Science leads at both; New York has 8 students per faculty member to U. Southern California's 9.

Students per faculty member
New York8 to 1
U. Southern California9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • New YorkManagement Science9%
  • U. Southern CaliforniaManagement Science22%

What each costs

U. Southern California costs about $10K less a year than New York on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
New York$67.8K
U. Southern California$57.8K
Aid generosity
New York23%
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
New York$82.5K
U. Southern California$92.5K
Graduation rate
New York88%
U. Southern California93%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • New YorkGrowing+118%
  • 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

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