University of Southern California

Founded: 1880

Type: Comprehensive Research University

Status: Private University

Location: Downtown Los Angeles, California

Special Features: Member of the Pacific-12 Conference, Association of American Universities, and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities

Rankings: 28th overall in the U.S., 25th for undergraduate engineering, 8th for undergraduate business, 15th for graduate engineering, 15th for graduate business, 16th for graduate law

Student Population: 49,500 (21,000 undergraduates, 28,500 graduates, 13,056 international students)

Notable Alumni: Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Jerry Buss, Neil Armstrong, Huo Zhenting, Fred Cohen

The University of Southern California (USC) is a private research university located in Los Angeles, founded in 1880 by the Board of Supervisors. It is a member of the Association of American Universities and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. USC is ranked 28th in the 2024 U.S. News Best Colleges ranking.

Among its alumni and faculty, USC has 10 Nobel Laureates, 6 MacArthur Fellows, and 1 Turing Award winner. USC is home to the top-ranked film school in the U.S., the leading gerontology school, the third-ranked public policy school, and the tenth-ranked engineering school. The Carnegie Foundation classifies USC as a "Very High Research Activity" university.

USC's engineering school hosts two National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Centers: the Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems Center (BMES) and the Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC). It also established a world-class quantum computing center with Lockheed Martin and was selected as the first Homeland Security Center of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Information Sciences Institute (ISI) at USC manages one of the world's 13 root name servers. The Internet Domain Name System, dynamic programming algorithms, VoIP technology, and the world's first antivirus software were all developed at USC.