<p>To add to Jasonvdm’s excellent answer about USC being need-blind: The first round of admission letters have been sent, and financial aid applications are not even due yet - so there is no way those decisions could in any way be based on a students financial need.</p>
<p>As to:
USC is a highly-ranked private university that could choose - if they wanted to - to completely fill their entering class of 2,700 with VERY well-qualified FULL PAY students from their pool of over 35,000 applicants, but they CHOOSE to be need-blind. There would be no reason or advantage for USC to “say” it is need-blind if it isn’t.</p>
<p>Over 60% of undergraduates at USC receive need-based financial aid.</p>