Private research powerhouse in Los Angeles, founded 1880, with 47,000+ students across 23 schools.
USC operates 23 schools and academic divisions offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across engineering, computer science, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, business, architecture, design, education, journalism, and the arts. The university's liberal arts foundation is anchored by the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Faculty research spans biomedical sciences, cancer research, gene therapy, neurosciences, and transplantation biology, with particular strength in the Health Sciences campus located near downtown Los Angeles.
The main University Park campus spans 226 acres in South Los Angeles, 2 miles southwest of downtown, featuring predominantly Romanesque Revival architecture alongside modernist buildings. The Health Sciences campus (79 acres) houses the Keck School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, and major teaching hospitals. USC Village, a $700 million mixed-use development completed in 2017, provides housing for 2,700 students and retail amenities. The university operates additional centers in Sacramento, Washington D.C., Irvine, and Catalina Island. Public transit includes Metro E Line and J Line service.
USC admits students through regular undergraduate and graduate pathways, with international and transfer options available. The university enrolls students from all 50 U.S. states and more than 115 countries. Undergraduate admissions are competitive; the university emphasizes interdisciplinary freedom and global experiences in its first-year program.
USC athletes have won 326 Olympic medals (153 gold, 96 silver, 77 bronze) as of 2021—more than any other American university. The university has produced 571 NFL draftees (second-highest nationally). USC physicians serve over one million patients annually across multiple hospital systems in Southern California. The university engages in forward-looking research addressing complex global challenges in health, sustainability, and technology.