Give every student a path to success
With your support, USC can make sure that every student who is admitted and wants to attend the university has the means to do so.
Your support and involvement are critical
When you make a gift to support USC students, you open wide the doors of access and affordability. You create exciting new learning opportunities and foster personal growth. Ultimately, you transform lives and make the world a better place.
Destination of choice
We start with our overarching goal — to increase the stature and impact of USC, by making USC the international standard-bearer and innovator for collaborative learning and discovery, and making USC the top choice for students, faculty, and staff who seek purpose-driven work and lives.
—President Carol L. Folt, State of the University 2022
USC student support by the numbers
$635 million
Amount USC awarded (including university, state, federal and other sources) in 2022-2023.
$50 million
Invested in faculty and institution-wide diversity.
12,091
Total number of undergraduates receiving USC scholarships and grants in 2019-20.
Why students need your support
Students face education costs beyond tuition
The total cost of an undergraduate education includes much more than tuition and room and board. Students must budget for books, computers and software, lab equipment, health expenses, travel costs and unexpected needs. Scholarships help defray these costs.
Students come to USC with significant need
Nearly half of all USC undergraduates depend on need-based aid from the university. USC is one of a few universities that meets 100 percent of every family’s demonstrated need, and we remain committed to this support through all economic cycles.
Government funding is shrinking
States and the federal government have long provided financial support for higher education, but in recent years, the amount of that support has significantly declined—putting a greater burden on students.
Our endowment is not enough
Less than 10 percent of USC’s annual undergraduate financial aid budget is funded by the endowment. The balance is covered by the operating budget of the university. The creation of more endowed scholarships can have an extremely positive long-term impact on students.
Most gifts limit how they can be used
The majority of gifts to USC are directed to specific schools, units, or programs, with restrictions on how they can be used. Unrestricted gifts to support students are a great way to have an immediate impact.
Competition for exceptional students is fierce
Admission to any of the world’s top research universities is highly competitive. USC’s ability to recruit and retain the brightest students possible is directly linked to its ability to offer students a competitive financial aid package that includes scholarships.
It’s hard for me to find words to describe that feeling of confidence, that feeling of self-belief, that feeling that all my hard work was worth it. Scholarships really do change lives. I wouldn’t be here without a scholarship.
—Jessica Holmes MS ’20
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Watch videoSupport USC’s commitment to affordability and accessibility
USC President Carol L. Folt’s affordabilty initiative entered its fourth year, making a USC education tuition-free for families making less than $80,000 a year.
USC enrolls more than 4,700 low-income undergraduate students, as defined by Pell Grant eligibility – more than most private research universities. In fall 2022, 22 percent of enrolled undergraduates received Pell Grants.
Among private universities, USC accepts an exceptionally high number of transfer students (nearly 1,000 every year), the majority coming from local community colleges.
Neighborhood Academic Initiative is a national model for college access and success
- Graduated more than 1,400 students since 1997.
- Expanded from South LA to include students who live in the vicinity of our Health Sciences Campus; first cohort of eastern Los Angeles students graduated in 2020.
- In 2023, 94 graduating seniors – all of them attending college (44 coming to USC).
USC Capital Campus is extending our reach
New coast-to-coast bridge for interdisciplinary study, collaboration, and connection:
- The mission of USC’s Capital Campus is to accelerate the university’s influence and impact, promote and develop strong leaders, and forge critical partnerships to address the nation’s most pressing issues and opportunities.
- The new campus will significantly expand opportunities for experts, thought-leaders, faculty, students, and alumni to serve the public good.
- USC will convene high-level conversations with national and global opinion leaders, strengthen collaborations with federal and private foundations, and expand its curriculum to develop leadership and grow programs in experiential and executive education.
Scholarships transform lives
Designed for students who grew up in the foster care system, the Trojan Guardian Scholars program connects students with all the resources of the university and brings them together with others from similar backgrounds.
Watch video
Help students reach their potential
USC’s most important mission is preparing students to excel. That mission begins with the partnership of donors like you who privately fund scholarships that help bring extraordinary students to our community—transforming their lives in the process.
Thank you for your interest in supporting our students. I’d be happy to tell you more about the options available. Feel free to email me at davista@usc.edu.
Theresa Davis
Associate Vice President
University Advancement