University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a leading private research university located in Los Angeles — a global center for arts, technology and international business. It is home to the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and 21 exceptional academic schools and units. USC’s Health Sciences campus houses renowned specialized care and research in cancer, stem cell and regenerative medicine, orthopedics and sports medicine. The university is the largest private sector employer in the city of Los Angeles, responsible for $8 billion annually in economic activity in the region.

USC is home to over 25,000 top-caliber graduate and professional students —more than half the entire USC student population— who represent all 50 states and 135 countries around the world. We are proud to host one of the largest numbers of international students in the United States. We offer over 400 highly regarded graduate and professional programs in our liberal arts college and 19 professional schools. We encourage you to review our website to learn more about the graduate student experience at USC and to discover which of our academic programs is best suited for your interests.

As a top-ranked private research institution, the University of Southern California offers everything you are looking for: world-class resources on a human scale, more academic opportunities than any other American university, a vibrant campus life, a location in the heart of a dynamic world center and the lifelong support of the Trojan Family.For over a century and a quarter, the University of Southern California has been an institution in the city and of the city.Having grown, and grown up, with Los Angeles, USC draws its unique vigor from its surrounding communities. We continue to join with our neighbors to ensure that our streets are safe, our children are healthy and well educated, and our local businesses, the arts, and our extraordinary cultural institutions thrive.

Internationally recognized for its academics and cutting-edge research, the University of Southern California is home to more than 40,000 students from more than 150 countries with 375,000+ alumni worldwide. Located in the creative capital of the world, known for innovation and international trade, USC is among a small number of institutions on which the world depends for a steady stream of new knowledge. At USC, you will encounter different perspectives, experience new cultures, and collaborate with influential scholars and professionals who are making a meaningful impact in countless fields.

USC prepares students to thrive in the global marketplace by emphasizing research, study abroad and service learning opportunities that span countries and continents. Search our global database to browse our international programs and the university's worldwide partnerships.The University of Southern California is a global university, and a leader in international education. With programs of research, study and service that span countries and continents, and a worldwide alumni network, USC prepares students to thrive in the global marketplace.

Los Angeles was a rough-and-tumble frontier town in the early 1870s, when a group of public-spirited citizens led by Judge Robert Maclay Widney first dreamed of establishing a university in the region. It took nearly a decade for this vision to become a reality, but in 1879 Widney formed a board of trustees and secured a donation of 308 lots of land from three prominent members of the community – Ozro W. Childs, a Protestant horticulturist; former California governor John G.Downey, an Irish-Catholic pharmacist and businessman; and Isaias W. Hellman, a German-Jewish banker and philanthropist.The gift provided land for a campus as well as a source of endowment, the seeds of financial support for the nascent institution.

When USC first opened its doors to 53 students and 10 teachers in 1880, the “city” still lacked paved streets, electric lights, telephones and a reliable fire alarm system. Today, USC is home to more than 44,000 students and over 4,800 full-time faculty, and is located in the heart of one of the biggest metropolises in the world.

Since 1994, the University of Southern California’s growth has been guided by a series of strategic plans. Each new plan outlined a vision of the university’s future and each new plan became a focal point for conversations within the entire Trojan Family.

The University of Southern California is one of a small number of research institutions on which our country depends for a steady stream of new knowledge, art and technology. USC has nearly $700 million in annual research expenditures, is ranked first in the nation among all universities in the size of its computer science research program, and has the largest graduate program in science, engineering and health of all private research universities.

Keck Medicine of USC is the University of Southern California’s medical enterprise, one of only two university-based medical systems in the Los Angeles area. Encompassing research and clinical excellence, the medical system attracts internationally renowned experts who are faculty at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the region’s first medical school. These same physicians practice at a network of more than 45 hospitals, clinics and affiliate hospitals in Southern California and provide care for more than 1 million patient visits annually.Care facilities includes the renowned USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of the first comprehensive cancer centers established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States.