University of Southern California (USC) vs Boston College

Nestled on the sunny shores of Los Angeles and the historic streets of Boston, University of Southern California (USC) and Boston College (BC) stand as two prominent institutions of higher learning, each offering a distinct educational experience. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. This side-by-side comparison delves into these differences, providing valuable insights for prospective students seeking the best fit for their academic aspirations and personal preferences. Explore the table below to discover which university aligns better with your goals and aspirations, considering factors such as selectivity, academic strengths, campus culture, and post-graduate outcomes.

	Boston College	University of Southern California
Overview
Location	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	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	95.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	19.0%	12.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $90
SAT range	1420 - 1530	1410 - 1540
ACT range	33 - 34	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	30.0%	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	39,846	71,031
Total number of admissions given out	7,587	8,884
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,516	3,668
Yield rate	33.2%	41.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$76,606	$81,659
Average net price	$30,159	$26,021
Tuition	$60,530	$60,446
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,780 Meal plan: $5,822	Room/dormitory: $10,098 Meal plan: $6,634
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $48,693	72.0% Average amount $40,690
Students receiving federal student loan	33.0% Average amount $3,579	22.0% Average amount $4,215
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $2,200	2.0% Average amount $29,056

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,955 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	20,790 Men 48.5% Women 51.5%
Graduate students	5,622 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%	28,528 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	49.9%
International students	12.4%	23.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	7,602	8,700
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Texas New York Illinois Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession	Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	90.8%	92.0%
Dropout rate	2.5%	7.2%
Transferred out	6.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,012 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $142,311 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,514 Year 2: $115,060 Year 3: $137,599 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $114,055 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $126,491 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $89,485 Year 2: $93,588 Year 3: $114,789 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,426 Year 2: $100,439 Year 3: $112,343 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,714 Year 2: $84,100 Year 3: $105,872 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,320 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $94,626 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,748 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $90,750 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,899 Year 2: $69,937 Year 3: $82,416 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,785 Year 2: $69,069 Year 3: $77,978	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

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