<p>Off-topic for the thread, but I wanted to respond to 2011rocks comment (post #5) about “very little merit aid” at USC:</p>
<p>
2011rocks, you have a very different definition of “very little” than I. Approximately 25% of USC udergraduates are currently receiving merit aid. To put it in perspective for you, here is how much merit aid USC awarded in 2010 alone:</p>
<p>Trustee Scholarships:
146 scholarships at $42,000/year = $6.1 million 1st year, $24.5 million over 4yrs.
Presidential Scholarships:
399 scholarships at $21,000/yr = $8.4 million 1st year, $33.5 million over 4yrs.
Dean’s Scholarships:
121 scholarships at $10,500/yr = $1.3 million 1st year, $5.1 million over 4yrs.</p>
<p>All together, USC awarded scholarships of $63.1 million to 666 (24%) students in the Fall 2010 entering class.
<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1011/FreshmanProfile2010.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1011/FreshmanProfile2010.pdf</a></p>
<hr>
<p>There are FOUR classes of undergraduates at USC at any given time, so that means undergraduates currently studying at USC have been awarded:</p>
<p>$252,504,000. **Two hundred fifty-two million, five hundred four thousand dollars in merit aid **. (And that doesn’t include transfer merit scholarships or continuing student scholarships - only freshman awards.)</p>