Quad

Outcomes

What it pays

Former students earn a median $92,498 ten years after enrolling, more than at 97% of colleges; 93% graduate within six years. Four years of net price is about 2.5 years of that salary.

Earnings

Median earnings vs. every college$92.5K
$92.5K
← $24.8Khigher than 97% of 1,762$108.8K →

Earnings climb with time

6 years after entry$74.5K
10 years after entry$92.5K

Staying and finishing

95%

Retention

come back for year two

93%

Graduation

graduate within six years

National median graduation rate: 59%

What graduates owe

Median debt at graduation, federal loans only

$18K

According to University of Southern California's most recent Common Data Set, its Class of 2025 graduates who borrowed from any source (federal, institutional, state, or private) took out an average of $26,805.

Counts students who started here as first-time students and earned a bachelor's; the federal median counts federal loans only, including students who left without a degree.

Everyone who starts here, 8 years later

Students who entered in fall 2016, including and part-time students. The graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students and treats a transfer out as not finishing.

93 of 100 students who start here earn a degree or certificate here within 8 years; 3 more are enrolled at another college. (5,342 students)

Earned a credential within 8 years

All entering students, by whether they had a Pell Grant.

Pell Grant recipients92%
Students without a Pell Grant94%
How long it takes

83 of 100 finish within 4 years, 93 within 6, and 93 within 8.

Earned a credential within4 yrs6 yrs8 yrs
All students83%93%93%
Started in college here79%92%93%
Transferred in89%93%93%

Transfer students' clock starts when they arrive here, not when they first started college.

National median: 60% of all entering students earn a credential at the college they started at within 8 years.

Do lower-income students finish?

Pell Grant recipients: 90%, 2 points below students with no need-based federal aid (92%). First-time, full-time students who finished within 6 years; entered fall 2018.

  • Pell Grant recipients618 students

    90% · 2 points below students with neither

  • Subsidized loan, no Pell Grant404 students

    91% · 1 point below students with neither

  • Neither Pell nor subsidized loan2,368 students

    92% · comparison group

All students in this class: 92%

By race and ethnicity

First-time, full-time students who finished within 6 years, from the College Scorecard's most recent release. Groups under 30 students aren't shown.

  • White1,220 students

    92% · the same as all students

  • Asian741 students

    95% · 3 points above all students

  • Hispanic/Latino548 students

    91% · 1 point below all students

  • Black175 students

    85% · 7 points below all students

  • Two or more races223 students

    92% · 1 point above all students

  • International455 students

    91% · 1 point below all students

  • American Indian/Alaska Native2 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander6 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

All students (IPEDS, entered fall 2018): 92%

Cost vs. earnings

The 300 most-applied-to colleges plus University of Southern California. Top-left is lower cost and higher earnings.

PublicPrivateDot size = undergrads

↑ Median earnings 10 years after entry (higher = more)

Lower cost, higher earnings$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K$140K$160K$0$10K$20K$30K$40K$50K$60K$70K$80KUniversity of Southern California
Average cost per year, all students (est.) → more expensive

Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;University of Southern California Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;University of Southern California Common Data Set 2025–26, Class of 2025About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)