UCLA vs USC: Cost Comparison
For 2026-2027, a California resident living on campus pays $45,500 per year at UCLA and $103,162 at USC. That makes UCLA about $57,662 cheaper per year, or $230,648 over four years, before any financial aid is applied.
UCLA total cost
$45,500
USC total cost
$103,162
4-year difference
$230,648
Cost breakdown (2026-2027)
| Cost | UCLA | USC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident tuition & fees | $16,430 | $77,336 | $60,906 |
| Non-resident tuition & fees | $55,700 | $77,336 | $21,636 |
| Housing & food | $19,867 | $21,952 | $2,085 |
| Total cost of attendance | $45,500 | $103,162 | $57,662 |
Totals are each school's own published cost of attendance for a California resident living on campus, covering 2026-27. Schools budget these differently — USC excludes student health insurance from its total, while UCLA includes it, so compare line items rather than headline totals alone.
Four-year cost
Most families care about the degree, not the year. At today's published rates, four years at UCLA runs about $182,000 versus $412,648 at USC — a gap of $230,648 in UCLA's favor. Both figures understate the real total, because tuition and housing typically rise each year; treat them as a floor, not a forecast.
Beyond cost
Price is one input. These are the differences that tend to matter just as much once the offers are in hand.
Same city, very different price
Both campuses sit in Los Angeles, so location is not the trade-off here. The published on-campus total is $103,162 at USC against $45,500 at UCLA for a California resident.
A majority-graduate university
USC enrolled 20,768 undergraduates against 25,047 graduate and professional students in fall 2025. UCLA's undergraduate body is roughly 60% larger than USC's.
Semesters, and health insurance billed separately
USC runs two semesters to UCLA's three quarters, and unlike every UC it excludes health insurance from its published cost of attendance while auto-enrolling students who do not waive.
Financial aid
USC states that students from U.S. families earning $80,000 or less with typical assets attend tuition free, a policy it dates to fall 2020. That can beat UC's Blue and Gold plan for the lowest-income families, since Blue and Gold covers systemwide tuition only. Note that USC's published total excludes health insurance, so the real gap is wider than the headline numbers suggest.
How UCLA financial aid worksThe verdict
On sticker price this is not close. USC's published total is $57,662 a year above UCLA's, or roughly $230,600 across four years — and that understates it, because USC excludes health insurance from its total while UCLA includes it.
Sticker price is the wrong number for most families, though. USC's no-tuition threshold at $80,000 of family income is genuinely more generous than Blue and Gold, which covers systemwide tuition and nothing else. A low-income Californian admitted to both may find USC costs less out of pocket. Between roughly $80,000 and $150,000 of income, UCLA usually wins decisively. Above that, families often pay close to full freight at USC.
So the real advice is procedural rather than philosophical: do not decide from these tables. Run both net price calculators with your actual numbers, and compare aid letters rather than published costs. The two campuses are eight miles apart, both are strong, and for most admitted students the deciding factor will be which envelope has the better number in it.
Estimate your UCLA cost
Published totals assume an average student. Adjust housing, meal plan, and personal spending to see what UCLA would actually cost you.
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Sources
Cost figures for USC come from the following published sources.