Cost & Value - Juris Doctor (JD)
USC Gould School of Law

Value of a USC Education

The University of Southern California is a leading private research university located in Los Angeles — a dynamic world center and the country’s second largest legal market. USC Gould School of Law, located on USC’s vibrant main campus, offers everything you are looking for: top faculty who are approachable; an interdisciplinary curriculum and experiential learning opportunities; high-value internships and career services; and a lifelong membership in the reknowned Trojan Family.

USC Gould currently ranks in the top 20 according to the U.S. News & World Report survey of 192 law schools, and was 4th in diversity among top 20 law schools for the U S. News & World Report Diversity Index listing. In addition, USC Gould ranked 16th in the National Law Journal's 2020 list of Go-To Law Schools.

When it comes to value, one of the most useful metrics to assess how a law school performs is the salary-to-debt ratio of it’s graduates. According to the U.S. News & World Report listing of the 15 Law Schools Where You Can Pay Off Your Debt, Gould ranks number 4 (and number 2 among private law schools).

Tuition

USC tuition increases (including USC Gould) continue to be at a modest rate. While it may seem like inflation has impacted just about everything, over the past six years, the average tuition increase has been less than the average inflation rate. For USC Gould, the low average rise in net price combined with generous merit-based scholarship offerings equated to a net tuition of $30,109 for the class that began Fall 2022.

Scholarships & Financial Aid

USC Gould's increases in scholarship support have consistently outpaced increases in tuition in the past decade. Specifically, Gould's financial aid has increased by 2:1 over the increase in tuition. Nearly all of USC Gould students receive some form of scholarship assistance. A September 2022 article in the TaxProf blog ranked USC 5th among the top 50 law schools for the percentage of students receiving at least a 50% tuition scholarship. This reflects our generous scholarship awards made to admitted students.

Supporting Access for Students from Diverse Backgrounds

The law school's need-blind admission process helps identify the best students, regardless of their ability to pay. In addition, USC Gould alumni have enthusiastically donated funds for the creation of a new Gould Need-based grant program. This helps increase access to the law school for students from all backgrounds:

• almost 50 percent are underrepresented minorities;
• 10+ percent come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds; and
• 10+ percent of the law student body are "first-gen," the first in their family to attend college.

USC is among the leading private universities in its generous support for these groups of students. This support is reflected in our scholarship awards, need-based grants, stipends for interview clothing, annual student awards, summer grants, bar exam stipends and many other valuable resources.

Supporting Students Pursuing Public Service Legal Careers

USC Gould was among a small group of law schools who, in the 1980s, were the first in the nation to create a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). Many law schools have since followed suit in creating similar programs, but USC Gould’s LRAP remains among the most generous. This program, as well as our Barbara F. Bice Public Interest Law Foundation summer grant program demonstrates USC Gould’s longstanding and dedicated support for the public interest passions of our students and alumni.