Computer and Information Sciences at University of Southern California

USC's highly selective computer science program appears to underperform its elite peers by a troubling margin. While comparable California programs suggest first-year earnings around $54,000, this trails well behind what actual graduates from UCLA ($136,000), UC Berkeley ($88,000), and even smaller schools like Westmont ($83,000) are reporting. For a university with a 10% admission rate and median SATs over 1500, these estimated outcomes raise questions about whether the program delivers the same career acceleration as its UC competitors.

The estimated $25,000 in debt sits at the national median for computer science degrees and represents a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.46. That's not the concern. The issue is opportunity cost: families paying USC's premium tuition might reasonably expect employment outcomes closer to what Berkeley or UCLA graduates achieve, yet the available data suggests this program's graduates may be starting their careers at roughly half the salary of those peer institutions.

The data suppression here means we're looking at estimates rather than USC's actual track record, which could work in either direction—perhaps the real numbers are better, or perhaps they're worse. Given USC's resources and selectivity, you'd want to see hard evidence that graduates are competing successfully for the high-paying tech roles that would justify choosing this program over public alternatives that cost less and appear to deliver stronger outcomes.