@Maestro2020 agreed that the price is outrageous. I’d say any private college/university or OOS university is outrageous. University is “free” where I come form.
USC, NYU and a few more are known to be overpriced. But really, when you’re investing close to a quarter of a million dollars for your kids education/right of passage what’s an additional $20K over four years? When my son got into NYU I felt it was a good environment for him but quickly realized his program would have cost us around $80K a year. He ended up picking a different place that only cost about $65K a year. Of course the rate has increased approximately 4% each subsequent year so we’re close to that $80K now anyway.
Some schools cost more because of their location and image, USC is one of these.
@byeretirement, according to my calculations, if S attends USC and chooses McCarthy dorm, one step up in dining and visits over Thanksgiving and Xmas, we’ll be close to $80,000 a year (prior to scholarship). With 4% increases in tuition, by senior year, could be pushing $90,000. That would be significantly more than a quarter mil, closer to $350k. Only because of the Presidential scholarship which brings the cost below $200k are we even still considering USC, despite the fact that the in state Honors program with scholarships offered, would be less than $40k for four years. Still waiting on ivies, Stanford and other fin aid from other schools though, so there won’t be a final decision for at least another week or two. Would love to make USC work, just not sure how that is going to happen.
@WWWard, yes $76k IS insane, but it’s really closer to $80k with upgraded housing, dining and realistic assessment of transportation for OOS students. Yea, S doesn’t HAVE to live in McCarthy but that is where most of the Presidential and Trustee scholars will be living so there’s that.
I am amazed at the constant criticism of the cost. My goodness, the COA is published clearly with each of those costs laid out. For every school.
Little Johnny doesn’t need the biggest meal plan, most don’t need that unless a big eating athlete, nor to live in the most expensive housing, as they are all great, parents don’t have to come out to the fall football games, and students don’t have to go home at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are a lot of ways to cut costs. Student can work. People make sacrifices for their kids. But if you don’t want to pay for anything of value, don’t go, there are obviously thousands to fill the spot of those who go elsewhere. I just don’t get being given so much then still complaining when plenty of others have worked their whole lives to be full pay or there are those that can’t afford to go or even apply. Be grateful to have good choices, but perhaps find a less expensive one. Every kid worked their tail off to get in there, parents work hard to pay for this school, the implication of anyone being entitled to more than another or USC hiding these costs is absurd. USC is expensive, always has been, everyone knows this. And there will be other expenses not listed, going out with friends, joining certain clubs, clothes, gear, etc., so be prepared for those too. There is no question it is a lot of money, just surprised that wasn’t obvious from the beginning of the process.
Stanford doesn’t give any merit aid btw. They list their COA as $71,587 with NO amount for travel included.
@Nomorelurker yeah, it’s grotesque, plain and simple.
I really like the idea of the previous poster denying you the right to see your kids on holidays and breaks and to make sure they eat poorly and live in a rat hole. That’s a great compromise when flirting with a $400K investment
@byeretirement, yea, it’s difficult to stomach paying that high a price tag and not have at least a middle of the road dining and housing option, as opposed to the lowest!
There were extra costs that were NOT laid out, extra fees for the health center and possibly for health insurance for OOS students, depending on the plan, and other new mandatory welcome fees. Never said USC hid them, but they were not expected.
@blueskies2day, you might try getting off your high horse in suggesting others may not be grateful or to just suck it up and pay $80k a year because “others have worked their whole lives” to pay it or are ready to take the place of a student whose family must seriously mull over the costs before making a decision. How do you know they all worked their whole lives? Maybe some inherited a fortune or were lucky in real estate or the stock market and never worked a day in their lives. Yea a student can work and I would suggest it, but that is going to be a minimal reduction in the overall cost.
Any way you slice it, $76k a year is fairly obscene for one year of college (for most middle class to upper middle class families or as @WWWard put it- “insane”) and may not be the best return on investment for some. That does NOT mean that our family is not grateful to have our S admitted and offered an interview for a scholarship which he ended up receiving. By the way, it was not luck, as you suggested on the USC Presidential and Trustee thread yesterday, but four years of hard work in and out of the classroom.
As far as Stanford, it’s still $5k less and from what I read, very generous on the fin aid which I did not see from USC thus far. Yes, “everyone knows USC is very expensive” but that does not mean everyone likes it or would not like to see more reasonable fees. Yea, you could be right in suggesting a family pay $80,000 a year and not see their kid at Thanksgiving and Xmas and not visit during Parents day weekend to attend a football game in the fall, GET REAL!
Just one item to consider… while the estimated cost of attendance remains the same in room/board terms, the actual cost can go down significantly per year in terms of room and board… especially if a student lives in a private apt vs USC Housing for years 2-4… or even if they remain in USC Housing but then only have an apartment meal plan at $630/semester vs the $3K or so a semester mandatory freshman meal plan.
For those on FA, this is even better… as they still go by what the average student at USC pays for room/board & not what you are actually paying. If handled right, you can start to save $2-4K per year after year one.
Once these kids have their own apts and kitchens, etc - food costs can go way down.
And for this year, for example, I had two girls (freshman and senior) in a private apt at only $725/mo each (large/nice 2 BR/2BA with 4 girls @ $2900/mo total… w/ stainless appliances, granite counter-tops, balconies, etc.) It is right next to Troy and only a block and a half away from the main campus… even closer to the Village.
So bigger and cheaper is possible if you know how/where to look. That could knock that 4 year total down by up to $12K.
Nope. As you can see from the post directly above yours… mine isn’t there this year. But her senior sister needed a roommate, and with two there simultaneously this year… I needed to save money where I could.
But beware… if you don’t live in USC Housing as a freshman, the sophomore guarantee vanishes too. We found that out the hard way. But no worries… as she has already joined a sorority and is living in that house next year instead. And it is still cheaper than USC Housing… lol.
@WWWard Thank you for the always-helpful posts about USC. I’m not sure my daughter would have applied to USC if we hadn’t read many of your informative posts. We could tell from what you wrote that USC seemed like a good fit for her, and when she visited during ExploreUSC, she loved it. I was wondering how much off-campus apartments run in comparison to on-campus housing. I know we saved quite a bit of money in food and living expenses with my oldest daughter at another larger, urban campus when she moved into off-campus housing her sophomore year.
@Nomorelurker I hear you on the cost of USC, and it’s certainly worthwhile to examine all options. One nice thing about the Presidential Scholarship is that it is a percentage-based scholarship, so the amount will grow each year. We have another daughter at a small LAC. Her scholarship there is for a set amount, so while it started out at around 50 percent tuition, it will not even be close to that when she graduates.
I went through the same possible sticker shock. Once my daughter was accepted last year, I told her to wait until we saw the FA.
The first year is the most expensive. She stayed in Birnkrant with the mid-level food plan. That’s about $16,500 for room/board/food. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have gotten that plan. She went to the dining hall more in first semester but that has dropped significantly. She likes the dining dollars but also just hits up Chic-Fil-A, Chipotle, KFC, etc. For Christmas, I gave her some $50 gift cards for her top places and a couple Visa gift cards if she wants something in the Village. She does have a credit card I gave her for emergencies.
I waived the student health plan. It’s not that much. They refunded about $1,000 due to the waiver. I had her set up a PCP at USC Keck about seven miles away. I wanted her to have access to specialists if needed. She can still visit the health center but I need to make sure they aren’t doing a boatload of tests because they may charge her (me). It’s really easy to speak with the student health center or Keck.
She worked since she was a Junior in High School. She didn’t really start saving until after senior year ended but put a nice amount in the bank over the summer for her local, day to day, spending money in LA. She also does work study at USC (about 10 hours a week). Her USC job keeps money in her pocket. She hasn’t asked me for a dime of spending money out there.
She did spring rush and is going to live in a sorority house sophomore year. She’ll have access to three meals a day at the house included in the house fee. That alone, compared to freshman year, saves almost $7,000 dollars for next year’s room/board/food.
Her travel for first year is also the most costly. She’ll have six EC to WC round trips total freshman year. I went on two with her; Explore USC (for admitted students) and move-in day. Then she had Orientation, Thanksgiving, Spring Break (she came home due to an injury; USC Keck came in handy for the injury), end of classes. Should settle down to four max each year, three if she goes off on spring break with classmates from now on.
If she moves off campus and out of the sorority house junior and/or senior year costs shouldn’t differ too much from sophomore year.
I’m thinking of making a new post for financial aid, @WWWard@CADREAMIN Thoughts?
But to state for the record for future USC students (and to confirm for current applicants), USC does NOT offer full rides UNLESS you are a Questbridge Match Finalist (and even then, you are still expected to work study and do a summer contribution)
USC is expensive, but it is one of the highest ranked universities (#1 in cinema, other great programs and overall #15 in state) and they have tons of applicants with great stats but ideally they still need to make money as a university to keep providing great education to their students. Their FA accounts for their location and they have a fundamental ideal that families need to contribute to their student’s education. There are ways to cut these costs down, and I hope to everyone that USC will give enough aid for those who need it. I just want to help clear things up for those who are confused that their merits are not enough for the treasured “full ride”. Unless you get outside scholarships, USC among nearly every university will not give you a full ride. :{
@Isoinfo, agree that it’s worth examining all options versus making a hasty decision without thought. It’s a big decision financially and in other ways as well. You make a good point about the Presidential growing each year. I think what that means is that when tuition goes up, it will increase “only” 50% rather than the full amount, so approximately 2% instead of 4%. Good point!
@WWWard, thanks for the input on housing after the freshman year. I realize your youngest decided to live with your eldest in an apartment as a freshman, which saves costs and presumably can also save costs after the freshman dorm year for many students. Since the majority of freshman students likely choose a dorm, most will have the opportunity to reduce costs sophomore year and beyond, if they want to explore that option. Good point that it likely also can save on food costs as well. Just want to reiterate that I do not feel that I am “complaining” when bringing up the costs. It was another poster who suggested this, but. anyone with sense would be mindful of all the variables before making a decision as large as this one. I join Isoinfo in thanking you for sticking around and answering questions about USC with well thought out helpful information.
Forgot to mention. I kept her on my insurance. If you waive USC health insurance you must provide your coverage information to USC so they can verify the coverage is acceptable. They use one of the Obamacare plans as a floor of memory serves. Standard employee health insurance is generally sufficient.
You’re welcome. Some of the established apartment communities near campus… like Gateway, Element and Lorenzo… also offer individual leases, but that can work out to be about what you would pay for an apt through USC Housing like Century or Cardinal Gardens - mainly because of the longer required term. You might save a bit, but not too much. You are probably looking at $9-12K for the entire school year, depending on # of roommates, configuration, etc. Of course… you are also getting a unit for 10-12 mos and not just the school year… 9 mos.
But the individual apts like my daughters are in now are where you can really save. Most though are not individual leases, so you have to get roommates to commit together (i.e. - joint and several leases). In our case, my oldest daughter went from $10,600 for the school year at Century for a 1BR / 1 Bath - 2 Person apartment to $7,975 this year for the same set up and an 11 mos term. So the savings for room alone is $2,625 for the year
@hannahmars18 Look to the far right on the top links… you can search roommates by matches or search by username, ID, keywords, etc.
And my daughter’s sorority is the same as the one mentioned by @jcwjnw99 Basically it all started (our daughters meeting) through CC. But we are both looking forward to saving that money on room and board
@liltaxotol You can of course… but if memory serves, this type of overall thread will be off the topic of FA and on to housing and other things fairly quickly. It is only during these first few days of FA announcements when it seems to dominate the conversation a bit
