Cornell vs University of Southern California (USC)

Cornell University and the University of Southern California (USC) stand as two prominent institutions of higher learning, each offering a distinct educational experience. Cornell, nestled in the scenic town of Ithaca, New York, boasts an acceptance rate of 10.3%, while USC, located in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, California, has a slightly higher acceptance rate of 11%. Both universities attract a diverse student body, with Cornell's undergraduate population comprising 49% female and 51% male students, and USC's undergraduate population consisting of 52% female and 48% male students. While Cornell's popular majors include Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Business, USC's popular majors encompass Cinematic Arts, Business, and Communication. With graduation rates of 91% and 89% respectively, both universities ensure that their students receive the necessary support to succeed academically. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a
Cornell University logo

Cornell University

University of Southern California logo

University of Southern California

Overview

Location Ithaca, New York Los Angeles, California
Campus setting City: Small City: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 97.0% 96.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 8.7% 12.5%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $105
Undergraduate: $85

Graduate: $90
SAT range 1450 - 1560 1410 - 1540
ACT range 33 - 35 32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 41.0% 31.0%
Students submitting ACT score 20.0% 19.0%
Total number of applicants 67,380 71,031
Total number of admissions given out 5,852 8,884
Admitted students who chose to enroll 3,718 3,668
Yield rate 63.5% 41.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $80,287 $81,659
Average net price $24,262 $26,021
Tuition $60,286 $60,446
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,962

Meal plan: $6,434
Room/dormitory: $10,098

Meal plan: $6,634
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

50.0%
Average amount $52,674
72.0%
Average amount $40,690
Students receiving federal student loan 26.0%
Average amount $3,924
22.0%
Average amount $4,215
Students taking out private loans 16.0%
Average amount $8,357
2.0%
Average amount $29,056

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 15,503
Men 46.1% Women 53.9%
20,790
Men 48.5% Women 51.5%
Graduate students 10,079
Men 51.0% Women 49.0%
28,528
Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 64.3% 49.9%
International students 24.4% 23.8%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Large
Dormitory capacity 7,422 8,700
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York California New Jersey Florida Pennsylvania California Texas New York Illinois Florida

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Agriculture
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Legal Profession
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 94.1% 92.0%
Dropout rate 5.2% 7.2%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Law (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $185,154
  • Year 2: $172,867
  • Year 3: $207,272
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $150,786
  • Year 2: $145,332
  • Year 3: $167,695
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $127,764
  • Year 2: $122,485
  • Year 3: $158,076
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $147,241
  • Year 2: $127,397
  • Year 3: $155,653
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $114,311
  • Year 2: $111,926
  • Year 3: $126,082
Operations Research (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,067
  • Year 2: $109,763
  • Year 3: $124,590
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $88,459
  • Year 2: $92,277
  • Year 3: $109,597
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $105,672
  • Year 2: $97,071
  • Year 3: $109,553
Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,847
  • Year 2: $94,408
  • Year 3: $107,658
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $101,072
  • Year 3: $106,693
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $104,166
  • Year 2: $187,234
  • Year 3: $221,418
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $167,228
  • Year 2: $163,225
  • Year 3: $161,094
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $106,344
  • Year 2: $126,683
  • Year 3: $148,434
Marketing (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $113,473
  • Year 2: $117,572
  • Year 3: $147,381
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $110,796
  • Year 2: $116,083
  • Year 3: $146,357
Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $79,420
  • Year 2: $88,198
  • Year 3: $140,330
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $127,841
  • Year 2: $131,090
  • Year 3: $140,129
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $135,775
  • Year 2: $135,393
  • Year 3: $136,848
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $121,676
  • Year 2: $101,072
  • Year 3: $134,632
Real Estate Development (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $119,991
  • Year 2: $122,038
  • Year 3: $125,784

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
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