USC vs. Vanderbilt vs. Duke vs. UCLA

University of Southern California vs. Vanderbilt University vs. Duke University vs. University of California Los Angeles comparison

	University of Southern California	Vanderbilt University	Duke University	University of California Los Angeles
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Overview	USC	Vanderbilt	Duke	UCLA
Location	Los Angeles, CA	Nashville, TN	Durham, NC	Los Angeles, CA
Setting	Large City	Large City	Midsize City	Large City
Enrollment	48,945	13,710	18,023	46,430
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#34	#14	#3	#58
Religious Affiliation	-	-	United Methodist	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	usc.edu	vanderbilt.edu	duke.edu	ucla.edu
Team Colors

Comparable Facts

• University of Southern California is larger than than Vanderbilt based on total student enrollment (48,945 students vs. 13,710 students)

USC vs. Vanderbilt Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, USC or Vanderbilt?

• University of Southern California is 9.2% more expensive to attend than Vanderbilt for in-state tuition ($63,468.00 vs. $58,130.00)
• Out of state tuition is 9.2% higher at USC than Vanderbilt University ($63,468.00 vs. $58,130.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Vanderbilt University than USC ($25,606 vs. $36,808)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of Southern California are 13.9% lower than costs at Vanderbilt University ($17,436 vs. $19,862)
• More students receive financial grant aid at University of Southern California than Vanderbilt University (71% vs. 65%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Vanderbilt University students is 19.2% larger than aid received University of Southern California ($53,932 vs. $45,262)

USC vs. Vanderbilt Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, USC or Vanderbilt? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Vanderbilt or USC .

• The average SAT score at Vanderbilt University (1498) is 107 points higher than at USC (1391)
• Incoming Vanderbilt students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (34) than students at USC (32)
• Accepted freshman Vanderbilt students have a 0.06 point higher average high school GPA (3.89) than students at USC (3.83)
• USC has a higher acceptance rate (12%) than Vanderbilt (6.7%)

USC vs. Vanderbilt Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, USC or Vanderbilt? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Vanderbilt and USC.

• The graduation rate at Vanderbilt is higher than University of Southern California (92% vs. 90%)
• Graduates from University of Southern California earn on average $2,400 more per year than Vanderbilt graduates after ten years. ($85,500 vs. $83,100)
• Vanderbilt University students graduate with a $8,375 lower median federal student loan debt than USC graduates. ($14,000 vs. $22,375)
• Vanderbilt graduates are paying $87 less per month on federal student loans than USC graduates. ($144 vs. $231)
• More Vanderbilt graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former USC students, three years after graduation. (83% vs. 81%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/