Compare USC vs UCLA: Which College is Better?

University of Southern California vs University of California Los Angeles

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University of Southern California is the oldest research university in the state of California. The university has been ranked among the top 20 universities in the USA and among the top 60 universities in the world. The University of California, Los Angeles rankings are consistent among the top 50 universities of the world according to prestigious ranking agencies. Currently, UCLA's ranking is #44 according to QS Global Rankings, 2023

Overview Comparison
University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of California
Collegedunia Score5.9 Out of 107.8 Out of 10
ranking (overall)# 125 QS World University 2025
# 28 US News 2024
# 74 Times Higher Education 2024
# 42 QS World University 2025
# 15 US News 2024
# 18 Times Higher Education 2024
Subject Strength# 15 for Engineering by US News 2024
# 28 for Medicine by US News 2024
# 16 for Law by US News 2024
# 16 for Engineering by US News 2024
# 14 for Medicine by QS World University 2024
# 14 for Law by US News 2024
ProgramsUG Programs -143
PG Programs -127
Doctorate Programs -7
UG Programs -24
PG Programs -43
Doctorate Programs -7
Acceptance Rate12.0 %11.0 %
Exam ScoreGMAT-690
GRE-306
IELTS-6.5
PTE-68
SAT-1360
TOEFL-80
GMAT-670
IELTS-7
SAT-1330
TOEFL-87
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees   63468
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  25795
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 39862 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees   42993
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  26544
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 36045 Per Year
placement (average package)

Graduate Employability Ranking 2023: 59

QS World University Ranking :#134

Average salaries are given below:

  • Doctrate: $145,000
  • MBA: $142,000
  • Bachelor(Other):$121,000
  • Master(Other): $117,000
  • PHd: $101,000


Graduate Employability rank: QS-#3

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is one of the top public universities in Los Angeles, United States. It is ranked #44 in QS World University Rankings 2023.

  • Masters in Finance : $180,000 
  • MBA : $150,000 
  • Executive Masters:  $146,000 
  • Doctorate :  $136,000 
  • Executive MBA : $135,000 
  • Masters in Science : $101,000 

application requirements

3 to 4 years of work experience for some graduate programs; at least 2 letters of recommendation; 2 to 3-page statement of purpose

94% in 12th for UG and 83% in bachelors for graduate admission; Name and email of references; Statement of Purpose

Campuses and B-SchoolsMarshall Business School
Anderson School of Management
CollegeDunia Reviews7.7/10 Read 33 reviews8.0/10 Read 11 reviews
General Facts Comparison
General FactsUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of California
Type of UniversityUniversity
University
Established1880
1919
Student:Faculty Ratio13:1
18:1
Male:Female48% Male, 52% Female47% Male, 53% Female
Location Facts

Has two campuses located in Los Angeles: University Park having Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and many professional schools; Health Science campus having Keck School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy and three teaching hospitals. 


Five mile from Pacific Ocean, Located in West-wood neighborhood of LA
Bordered by Beverly hill and Bel-Air


Library

Over 22 campus libraries having –

Total Volume: 5,919,656;

Title Held: 5,007,597;

Serials: 77,299;

Physical Media: 172,964, Electronic Media: 122,269; 

Electronic Books: 1,682,067;

Electronic Journals: 172,964;


12 million print and electronic volumes
700 subscription database
100,00 current serial titles
950,000 e-books
Largest on-campus student employer


Campus Life

Cultural Communities: Asian Pacific American Student Services, LGBT Resource Center, International Services, etc;

Graduate, Undergraduate and Residential Student Governance; 

Volunteer Center; Trojan Marching Band; Relationship & Sexual Violence Prevention Services


Over 100 Student organizations
220 student groups
Around 60 sororities and fraternities
118 NCA Titles and 261 Olympic Medals
Theatre and Film School
Midnight Yells during finals week (break to study)
 


Hostel#Rooms - $12271
#Room and Board - $19931
#Room & Board - $17436
#Room and Board - $18609
Famous Alumni

Neil Armstrong (astronaut); George Lucas (creator of Star Wars); Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (former Prime Minister of Pakistan); John Wayne (Academy Award winner); Andrew Viterbi (co-founder of Qualcomm Inc.); Will Ferrell (actor)


14 Nobel laureates, 15 Mac Authors
Taylor Wang (astronaut), Randy Schekman (Nobel laureate-Physiology/medicine), Richard Heck (Nobel laureate-chemistry), Kay Ryan (US Poet laureate), Tom Bradley (1st African-American mayor of LA), Ralph Bunche (Nobel Peace Prize), Kareem Abdul (NBA superstar)


City Life

Los Angeles (LA) is the second most populous city of USA; Hollywood is located here; 841 Museums and art gallaries, California Beaches, Disneyland park, Los Angeles offers various concert halls, regular festivals, and bustling nightlife; Ranked 7th on Global City Index and 9th on Global Economic Power Index; Unemployment rate in December 2022 was 4%; Industries employing maximum number of people are healthcare, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing


Los Angeles (LA) is the second most populous city of USA; Hollywood is located here; 841 Museums and art galleries, California Beaches, Disneyland park, Los Angeles offers various concert halls, regular festivals, and bustling nightlife; Ranked 7th on Global City Index and 9th on Global Economic Power Index; Unemployment rate in December 2019 was 4%; Industries employing maximum number of people are healthcare, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing


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