Undergraduate cost of attendance rises to nearly $100,000

Undergraduate tuition for the 2025-26 academic year will increase by 4.8% to $73,260.

By KARTHIK KRISHNAMURTHY

The total estimated undergraduate cost of attendance for the 2025-2026 academic year will increase by 4.11% to $99,139, according to the University’s Cost of Attendance webpage. Undergraduate tuition for the 2025-26 academic year will increase by 4.80% to $73,260.

USC has increased tuition by roughly 5% each of the past three years. The change comes one day after the University announced it will implement a $292 fee to cover access to mandatory course materials, which students may opt out of, beginning in Fall 2025. 

The next academic year will also see the cost of dining more than double for students previously under the apartment meal plan, the minimum required plan for sophomores, juniors and seniors living in University apartments.   

UPDATE: A University statement to the Daily Trojan read that the tuition increase will “adjust for rising costs across all of higher education and to support our commitment to providing high-quality education and ensuring student success.”

Tuition helps fund academic advising, new course development and the Department of Public Safety among other University budget items, the statement read. Tuition is the largest source for the University’s academic operating budget according to the statement.

The statement also read that the University’s undergraduate financial aid pool increases at the same rate as tuition, and referenced the University’s new flat rate on digital course materials as a way of saving students “approximately 80% on book costs.”

The Office of the Provost wrote yesterday in a community-wide statement that the program, which students have the option to opt out of, is estimated to save the average student 60% on course materials.

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