USC ranks No. 25 among nation’s top universities 


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The U.S. News & World Report published their latest National University rankings on Sept. 12 to help prospective students and their families explore college options. USC is now ranked at No. 25, two places up compared to last year. 

First published in 1983, the U.S. News & World Report ranking has served as a weathervane for many students during their application process. USC tied with New York University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and University of Virginia on the 2022-2023 edition of the Best National University ranking at No. 25. 

In a response to a request from the Daily Trojan for an official statement, USC recognized that college rankings are one of the factors that students consider when navigating through their application lists. 

“Many national and international magazines publish college rankings these days. They are one of many considerations some people take into account when choosing a university,” the statement read. “However, the way these rankings are calculated changes frequently; the formula, algorithms, ‘peers’ being polled, and even the data used by the different companies rarely are made public. Therefore, we don’t comment on them.”

The U.S. News & World Report also published the ranking factors that were taken into consideration on Sept. 11, one day before the list was released. 

Graduation and retention rates remain the ranking’s most important factor, carrying 22% indicator weight in total. This is followed by undergraduate academic reputation and faculty resources, each carrying a 20% indicator weight. Other factors taken into account include financial resources per student, student selectivity, graduate indebtedness, graduation rate performance, social mobility and average alumni giving rate. 

USC’s average ranking in the past five years has been No. 24, steadily remaining a Top 30 university according to the U.S. News & World Report rankings. In that time, the highest ranking USC attained was No. 21 in 2017-2018, and the lowest was No. 27 in 2021-2022. 

Despite fluctuations in overall rankings for national universities, USC’s game design program stands out as No. 1 in the latest edition. Other notable rankings include the No. 8 spot in business programs and No. 9 in best colleges for veterans.