USC raised the cost of attendance another $2,125 per academic year, bringing tuition to a total of $75,384, a university spokesperson confirmed Monday. The official did not provide the estimated 2026-2027 cost of attendance, but it’s likely to exceed $100,000 for students living on campus.
Tuition at USC has gone up for four consecutive years, typically increasing annually by about 5%. The latest increase reveals a 2.9% change, compared with the estimated 2025-26 cost of attendance of $73,260 by USC Housing.
This year’s increase is relatively lower than previous years.
According to a statement from USC President Beong-Soo Kim to Annenberg Media, as part of USC’s commitment to affordability, the tuition increase for the 2026-27 academic year will be “the smallest percentage in more than 45 years,” with the exception of 2020-21 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest hike in the price tag comes after a period of financial strain for the university, which operated on an over $200 million budget deficit last year.
That gap resulted in a series of impactful university-wide cost-cutting measures, including more than 900 layoffs, changes to faculty healthcare plans, and adjustments to academic advising and other student services.
Late last semester, Kim said in a letter to faculty and staff that the university was on track to eliminate its long-term deficit, emphasizing the need for continued careful monitoring of fiscal progress. At a Feb. 18 Academic Senate meeting, Kim announced USC is projected to operate on a balanced margin for the 2026 fiscal year, the Daily Trojan reported.
In an interview with Annenberg Media after his recent State of the University address, Kim sounded a positive note for USC’s fiscal future.
“We do have a lot more controls that are in place to make sure that we’re not overspending and we’re approaching decisions mindful of scarce resources,” he said.