University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California · Private, nonprofit
Of 129 assessed programs, 127 leave graduates out-earning a typical California high-school graduate (about $36,976/yr) and 2 fall short. Another 234 could not be assessed.
What would this cost you?
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $13,516 |
| $30k to $48k | $14,394 |
| $48k to $75k | $19,539 |
| $75k to $110k | $24,976 |
| $110k and up | $56,116 |
| All families (average) | $32,740 |
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, by family income (College Scorecard). It reflects students who received federal aid.
Program earnings vs a high-school graduate
Earnings are measured four years after completion when available. Where four-year earnings are suppressed, one-year earnings are shown and marked 1-year earnings. One-year and four-year figures reflect different career stages and should not be compared as if measured at the same time.
129 of 363 programs could be assessed 36% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Years to repay | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | Bachelor's Degree | $109,128 | +$72,152 | clears the bar | $15,750 | 0.2 yrs | 832 |
| Management Science | Master's Degree | $158,632 | +$121,656 | clears the bar | $60,405 | 0.5 yrs | 771 |
| Computer Science | Master's Degree | $188,871 | +$151,895 | clears the bar | $51,250 | 0.3 yrs | 690 |
| Business Administration | Master's Degree | $181,250 | +$144,274 | clears the bar | $77,686 | 0.5 yrs | 666 |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $73,829 | +$36,853 | clears the bar | $125,849 | 3.4 yrs | 664 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | Master's Degree | $84,932 | +$47,956 | clears the bar | $66,790 | 1.4 yrs | 621 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $143,205 | +$106,229 | clears the bar | $75,568 | 0.7 yrs | 399 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Master's Degree | $69,534 | +$32,558 | clears the bar | $68,331 | 2.1 yrs | 387 |
| Communications and Media | Bachelor's Degree | $75,864 | +$38,888 | clears the bar | $15,875 | 0.4 yrs | 326 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $98,030 | +$61,054 | clears the bar | $69,961 | 1.1 yrs | 303 |
| Educational Administration | Doctoral Degree | $138,552 | +$101,576 | clears the bar | $99,714 | 1.0 yrs | 289 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $192,897 | +$155,921 | clears the bar | $19,625 | 0.1 yrs | 287 |
| Human Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $69,751 | +$32,775 | clears the bar | $14,481 | 0.4 yrs | 261 |
| Electrical Engineering | Master's Degree | $180,468 | +$143,492 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 250 |
| Communications and Media | Master's Degree | $91,873 | +$54,897 | clears the bar | $70,426 | 1.3 yrs | 242 |
| Human Resources | Master's Degree | $116,471 | +$79,495 | clears the bar | $53,261 | 0.7 yrs | 218 |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $95,642 | +$58,666 | clears the bar | $83,937 | 1.4 yrs | 215 |
| Law | First Professional Degree | $203,028 | +$166,052 | clears the bar | $138,518 | 0.8 yrs | 213 |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $94,435 | +$57,459 | clears the bar | $13,850 | 0.2 yrs | 210 |
| Pharmacy | First Professional Degree | $163,791 | +$126,815 | clears the bar | $234,278 | 1.8 yrs | 200 |
| Psychology | Bachelor's Degree | $70,461 | +$33,485 | clears the bar | $14,000 | 0.4 yrs | 183 |
| School Counseling | Master's Degree | $77,125 | +$40,149 | clears the bar | $118,051 | 2.9 yrs | 182 |
| Film and Photography | Bachelor's Degree | $58,623 | +$21,647 | clears the bar | $19,500 | 0.9 yrs | 178 |
| Medicine | First Professional Degree | $105,882 | +$68,906 | clears the bar | $234,702 | 3.4 yrs | 170 |
| Dentistry | First Professional Degree | $123,341 | +$86,365 | clears the bar | $439,325 | 5.1 yrs | 169 |
| Physical and Occupational Therapy | Master's Degree | $87,543 | +$50,567 | clears the bar | $136,289 | 2.7 yrs | 168 |
| International Relations | Bachelor's Degree | $84,866 | +$47,890 | clears the bar | $13,247 | 0.3 yrs | 165 |
| Accounting | Bachelor's Degree | $121,101 | +$84,125 | clears the bar | $16,491 | 0.2 yrs | 160 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Master's Degree | $107,998 | +$71,022 | clears the bar | $58,425 | 0.8 yrs | 156 |
| Healthcare Administration | Master's Degree | $132,258 | +$95,282 | clears the bar | $73,316 | 0.8 yrs | 153 |
| Engineering, Other | Master's Degree | $150,717 | +$113,741 | clears the bar | $30,125 | 0.3 yrs | 152 |
| Applied Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $101,094 | +$64,118 | clears the bar | $12,251 | 0.2 yrs | 147 |
| Political Science | Bachelor's Degree | $75,090 | +$38,114 | clears the bar | $12,000 | 0.3 yrs | 139 |
| Theatre | Bachelor's Degree | $40,415 | +$3,439 | clears the bar | $12,000 | 3.5 yrs | 135 |
| Film and Photography | Master's Degree | $51,931 | +$14,955 | clears the bar | $167,503 | 11.2 yrs | 135 |
| Applied Mathematics | Master's Degree | $106,697 | +$69,721 | clears the bar | $57,179 | 0.8 yrs | 130 |
| Gerontology | Master's Degree | $79,668 | +$42,692 | clears the bar | $66,250 | 1.6 yrs | 130 |
| Public Health | Bachelor's Degree | $89,522 | +$52,546 | clears the bar | $15,000 | 0.3 yrs | 128 |
| Social Work | Doctoral Degree | $113,125 | +$76,149 | clears the bar | $116,557 | 1.5 yrs | 122 |
| Neuroscience | Bachelor's Degree | $89,203 | +$52,227 | clears the bar | $14,000 | 0.3 yrs | 121 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $104,649 | +$67,673 | clears the bar | $14,250 | 0.2 yrs | 119 |
| Counseling Psychology | Master's Degree | $96,014 | +$59,038 | clears the bar | $61,632 | 1.0 yrs | 118 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Master's Degree | $139,463 | +$102,487 | clears the bar | $55,288 | 0.5 yrs | 114 |
| Public Administration | Master's Degree | $103,721 | +$66,745 | clears the bar | $75,887 | 1.1 yrs | 111 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's Degree | $139,101 | +$102,125 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 102 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | Master's Degree | $89,760 | +$52,784 | clears the bar | $82,426 | 1.6 yrs | 101 |
| Real Estate Development | Bachelor's Degree | $107,292 | +$70,316 | clears the bar | $17,375 | 0.2 yrs | 100 |
| Music | Master's Degree | $45,304 | +$8,328 | clears the bar | $64,278 | 7.7 yrs | 100 |
| Public Policy Analysis | Master's Degree | $94,114 | +$57,138 | clears the bar | $81,516 | 1.4 yrs | 97 |
| Business Administration | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $123,330 | +$86,354 | clears the bar | $79,250 | 0.9 yrs | 94 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $79,776 | +$42,800 | clears the bar | $15,000 | 0.4 yrs | 92 |
| Nursing | Master's Degree | $161,128 | +$124,152 | clears the bar | $96,260 | 0.8 yrs | 89 |
| Journalism | Master's Degree | $76,630 | +$39,654 | clears the bar | $48,232 | 1.2 yrs | 88 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | Master's Degree | $86,783 | +$49,807 | clears the bar | $80,255 | 1.6 yrs | 85 |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $79,940 | +$42,964 | clears the bar | $12,138 | 0.3 yrs | 82 |
| Educational Administration | Master's Degree | $73,693 | +$36,717 | clears the bar | $60,487 | 1.6 yrs | 80 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | Master's Degree | $55,041 | +$18,065 | clears the bar | $66,499 | 3.7 yrs | 79 |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $34,124 | -$2,852 | falls short | $19,839 | insufficient data | 78 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | Bachelor's Degree | $87,946 | +$50,970 | clears the bar | $19,500 | 0.4 yrs | 77 |
| Management Science | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $187,852 | +$150,876 | clears the bar | $100,338 | 0.7 yrs | 77 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $59,455 | +$22,479 | clears the bar | $18,500 | 0.8 yrs | 76 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | Bachelor's Degree | $78,741 | +$41,765 | clears the bar | $30,500 | 0.7 yrs | 70 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | Master's Degree | $74,838 | +$37,862 | clears the bar | $118,666 | 3.1 yrs | 69 |
| Fine Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $72,428 | +$35,452 | clears the bar | $19,750 | 0.6 yrs | 69 |
| Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $63,125 | +$26,149 | clears the bar | $4,618 | 0.2 yrs | 68 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | Bachelor's Degree | $63,353 | +$26,377 | clears the bar | $20,353 | 0.8 yrs | 66 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | Bachelor's Degree | $78,731 | +$41,755 | clears the bar | $9,125 | 0.2 yrs | 65 |
| Philosophy | Bachelor's Degree | $51,831 | +$14,855 | clears the bar | $7,500 | 0.5 yrs | 65 |
| Geography and Cartography | Master's Degree | $83,256 | +$46,280 | clears the bar | $58,405 | 1.3 yrs | 63 |
| Cognitive Science | Bachelor's Degree | $93,440 | +$56,464 | clears the bar | $18,250 | 0.3 yrs | 62 |
| Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $139,611 | +$102,635 | clears the bar | $252,481 | 2.5 yrs | 58 |
| Industrial Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $112,150 | +$75,174 | clears the bar | $17,704 | 0.2 yrs | 57 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Master's Degree | $179,055 | +$142,079 | clears the bar | $63,625 | 0.4 yrs | 56 |
| Biomedical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $105,415 | +$68,439 | clears the bar | $13,750 | 0.2 yrs | 56 |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $70,555 | +$33,579 | clears the bar | $9,625 | 0.3 yrs | 56 |
| Marketing | Master's Degree | $88,627 1-year earnings | +$51,651 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 56 |
| Design | Bachelor's Degree | $89,022 | +$52,046 | clears the bar | $18,000 | 0.3 yrs | 55 |
| Allied Health Diagnostics and Treatment | Master's Degree | $155,219 | +$118,243 | clears the bar | $232,660 | 2.0 yrs | 52 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $125,514 | +$88,538 | clears the bar | $20,030 | 0.2 yrs | 49 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | Master's Degree | $38,304 1-year earnings | +$1,328 | clears the bar | $61,426 | 46.3 yrs | 49 |
| Public Policy Analysis | Bachelor's Degree | $74,511 | +$37,535 | clears the bar | $17,750 | 0.5 yrs | 49 |
| Library Science and Administration | Master's Degree | $70,398 | +$33,422 | clears the bar | $83,905 | 2.5 yrs | 47 |
| Public Policy Analysis | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $89,003 | +$52,027 | clears the bar | $85,385 | 1.6 yrs | 47 |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $166,369 | +$129,393 | clears the bar | $6,625 | 0.1 yrs | 45 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | Master's Degree | $58,044 1-year earnings | +$21,068 | clears the bar | $60,000 | 2.8 yrs | 43 |
| Biomedical Engineering | Master's Degree | $121,165 | +$84,189 | clears the bar | $65,600 | 0.8 yrs | 41 |
| Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $57,246 | +$20,270 | clears the bar | $3,000 | 0.1 yrs | 41 |
| Real Estate | Bachelor's Degree | $143,977 | +$107,001 | clears the bar | $19,500 | 0.2 yrs | 41 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | $59,088 | +$22,112 | clears the bar | $20,000 | 0.9 yrs | 40 |
| Theatre | Master's Degree | $53,569 | +$16,593 | clears the bar | $108,033 | 6.5 yrs | 40 |
| Mental Health and Counseling Services | Master's Degree | $72,615 | +$35,639 | clears the bar | $130,999 | 3.7 yrs | 39 |
| Systems Engineering | Master's Degree | $178,619 | +$141,643 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 38 |
| Civil Engineering | Master's Degree | $130,675 | +$93,699 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 37 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $41,637 | +$4,661 | clears the bar | $19,131 | 4.1 yrs | 37 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | Master's Degree | $88,656 | +$51,680 | clears the bar | $57,982 | 1.1 yrs | 36 |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $100,646 | +$63,670 | clears the bar | $13,000 | 0.2 yrs | 36 |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $106,308 | +$69,332 | clears the bar | $8,125 | 0.1 yrs | 34 |
| Dispute Resolution | Master's Degree | $94,256 | +$57,280 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 33 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Bachelor's Degree | $115,839 | +$78,863 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 32 |
| Special Education | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $72,559 | +$35,583 | clears the bar | $98,855 | 2.8 yrs | 30 |
| Music | Doctoral Degree | $59,885 | +$22,909 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 30 |
| Real Estate Development | Master's Degree | $185,174 | +$148,198 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 29 |
| International/Globalization Studies | Master's Degree | $58,871 1-year earnings | +$21,895 | clears the bar | $52,251 | 2.4 yrs | 29 |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other | Master's Degree | $140,115 | +$103,139 | clears the bar | $51,250 | 0.5 yrs | 29 |
| English | Bachelor's Degree | $59,345 | +$22,369 | clears the bar | $3,500 | 0.2 yrs | 27 |
| Taxation | Master's Degree | $127,082 | +$90,106 | clears the bar | $50,834 | 0.6 yrs | 26 |
| Dance | Bachelor's Degree | $25,653 1-year earnings | -$11,323 | falls short | $15,875 | insufficient data | 25 |
| Marketing | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $161,928 | +$124,952 | clears the bar | $95,362 | 0.8 yrs | 25 |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Master's Degree | $91,029 1-year earnings | +$54,053 | clears the bar | $61,579 | 1.1 yrs | 24 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | Bachelor's Degree | $96,120 | +$59,144 | clears the bar | $19,250 | 0.3 yrs | 24 |
| Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences | Master's Degree | $142,858 | +$105,882 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 23 |
| Pharmacy | Doctoral Degree | $179,146 | +$142,170 | clears the bar | $283,763 | 2.0 yrs | 22 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | Doctoral Degree | $195,019 1-year earnings | +$158,043 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 22 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | $64,421 | +$27,445 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 19 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | $54,966 | +$17,990 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 19 |
| Electrical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $131,532 | +$94,556 | clears the bar | $18,497 | 0.2 yrs | 18 |
| Social Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | $42,038 | +$5,062 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 17 |
| Dispute Resolution | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $95,860 | +$58,884 | clears the bar | $56,326 | 1.0 yrs | 16 |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $69,377 | +$32,401 | clears the bar | $2,750 | 0.1 yrs | 15 |
| Healthcare Administration | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $122,019 | +$85,043 | clears the bar | $108,346 | 1.3 yrs | 15 |
| Education, Other | Doctoral Degree | $108,535 1-year earnings | +$71,559 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 14 |
| Physical and Occupational Therapy | Doctoral Degree | $93,753 | +$56,777 | clears the bar | $210,709 | 3.7 yrs | 13 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $55,208 | +$18,232 | clears the bar | $17,750 | 1.0 yrs | 10 |
| Geography and Cartography | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $86,247 | +$49,271 | clears the bar | $41,000 | 0.8 yrs | 6 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | Bachelor's Degree | $106,094 | +$69,118 | clears the bar | insufficient data | insufficient data | 1 |
| Dental Assisting and Hygiene | Bachelor's Degree | $91,726 | +$54,750 | clears the bar | $30,556 | 0.6 yrs | 1 |
| Engineering, Other | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $84,820 | +$47,844 | clears the bar | $137,056 | 2.9 yrs | 0 |
| Accounting | Master's Degree | $122,697 | +$85,721 | clears the bar | $48,666 | 0.6 yrs | 0 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $58,462 | +$21,486 | clears the bar | $3,000 | 0.1 yrs | insufficient data |
| Physical and Occupational Therapy | First Professional Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 213 |
| Computer and Information Science | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 203 |
| Management Science | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 172 |
| Economics | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 156 |
| Pharmacy | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 101 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 74 |
| Criminal Justice | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 67 |
| Radio, TV and Digital Media | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 56 |
| Computer Engineering | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 46 |
| Hospitality Management | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 44 |
| Hospitality Management | Graduate/Professional Certificate | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 39 |
| Computer Science | Doctoral Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 38 |
| Electrical Engineering | Doctoral Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 37 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 36 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 34 |
| Construction Management | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 33 |
| Design | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 29 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 28 |
| International Business | Master's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 28 |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 27 |
| Chemistry | Doctoral Degree | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | insufficient data | 25 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians measured four years after completion where available (programs shown with a 1-year figure are marked), compared with the state high-school-graduate benchmark ($36,976/yr). Debt is federal loans only. Suppressed values are shown as insufficient data, never imputed. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise.