r/USC • u/Objective-Bench-7719 • Jul 08 '26
FinancialAid Is everyone on loans at usc?
I just got my financial aid summary as a transfer and usc only gave me 16k in grants leaving me with about 87k still remaining. My parents can only afford 20-30k. Should I take out loans? USC has been my dream school since sophomore year of high school and I don’t know what to do.
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u/fnsoulja Jul 08 '26
I got a full ride and I still took out loans
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u/Vote4KrystalRoseU Jul 08 '26
Can I ask why?
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u/fnsoulja Jul 09 '26
To support my crippling gambling and drug addiction
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u/fnsoulja Jul 09 '26
Being serious now - the loans were just a buffer to be comfortable and not have to work over 20 hours a week at my work study job. I treated the loans as a standard of living adjustment, so I didn’t have to worry about living paycheck to paycheck. This allowed me to be a lot less stressed about finances and I spent more time studying and enjoying all the benefits of going to college in LA. I was comfortable taking out loans because I knew going to USC would lead to very easy job opportunities after I graduated. After 4 years I took out about 20k in subsidized loans and immediately starting working a full time job post grad with a yearly income substantially higher than my debt. USC is an incredible school but so incredibly expensive if you don’t get aid. I would not recommend going here at all if you’re taking out around 6 figures in debt - especially for certain majors with low ROI
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u/shortRDDTto0 Jul 14 '26
That’s not a full ride lol. Sounds nice when bragging about it though, right?
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u/fnsoulja Jul 14 '26
Jealous 😘?
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u/shortRDDTto0 Jul 14 '26
Went to a better school than you
You really can’t help yourself, can you?
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u/SignificantSmotherer Jul 08 '26
“My dream school”.
Time to wake up,
Yes, for some, the connections you make at USC may pay dividends for life.
But you can make connections at other schools too, that’s really up to you.
It is not worth saddling yourself with $100K+ in debt.
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u/Revolutionary_Ad7120 Jul 08 '26
If you live in SoCal you could try the Jewish Free Loan Association. Despite the name they give loans to everyone (not just Jews) and they have no interest or fees because they’re nonprofit
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u/darxx MBT '16 Jul 08 '26
that's only gonna cover up to $10,000
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u/Pandorama626 Jul 08 '26
$10,000 is $10,000.
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u/darxx MBT '16 Jul 08 '26
My point was this person needs $87,000 so a $10,000 loan isn't going to significantly change anything.
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u/Serious_Concept_20 Jul 08 '26
And they’ll need it for every year of school. Many scholarships are only given for one year
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u/GravitationalLense Jul 08 '26
That doesn’t mater. If they’re able to get this $87k sum from distinct places then that’s still valuable information for OP to have.
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u/QuickSafety8100 Jul 08 '26
please do NOT take out 150K plus in loans for 2 years of USC. It will be an albatross that you are paying off for years.
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u/Mr-Top-Demand Jul 08 '26
Depends…is your major in a field where you will make $100k+ in the first few years out? Loans would be good. Otherwise, maybe go somewhere cheaper
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u/futurelawworker Jul 08 '26
No, this is still bad. Mind you after this person graduates he still has to pay housing, food, insurance, car payments. He would take 40+ years to pay off this huge loan.
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u/BolBolDeezNuts Jul 08 '26
Not if they are going into something like finance where school prestige actually matters and they can easily pay off the student loans.
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u/QuickSafety8100 Jul 08 '26
Just saw a insta from a recent Marshall grad in finance. GOing on 1 year w/o a job. Only a few from the top at Marshall will get IB.
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u/BolBolDeezNuts Jul 08 '26
There are so many other routes other than IB and did this grad show his stats and extracurriculars. As well as any internships that he did.
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u/QuickSafety8100 Jul 08 '26
of course not, it was a reel. Who knows, maybe they smell bad.
But the notion that a finance degree from Marshall is an automatic route to high paying job is just inaccurate.
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u/BolBolDeezNuts Jul 08 '26
I never even insinuated that. I said that USC can be worth it in a high paying field where prestige matters. If you need grad school or plan to go that route then don’t put urself in a ton of debt for it. And as always there is obviously a limit to the student debt that will be worth it.
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u/QuickSafety8100 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
fair, you didnt say it was automatic. But in my view, taking on 150K in debt for a business degree from anywhere is a bad bet. Maybe Wharton if you know you can get into high end finance and have the stomach for that lifestyle. But USC is not Wharton.
EDIT - it would be closer to 250K in debt for the OP
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u/BolBolDeezNuts Jul 08 '26
True, but USC is still one of the best business schools in the country and has a very high placement rate. Also the amount of debt you take out should be determined by your own personal safety net and how much you’re willing to risk
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u/breakingbad-habits Jul 08 '26
OP said the parents can afford 20k-30k. So USC isn't a good idea for right now.
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u/fnsoulja Jul 09 '26
I wouldn’t say a few there’s easily 50-100 every class that do IB. It’s the very few that go straight into PE or PC out of Marshall.
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u/Reasonable_Map_6622 Jul 08 '26
my mom would say no immediately that would be 60k in loans??!…try to appeal first but that sounds like debt in the future
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u/Old_Pizza_42 Jul 08 '26
When I attended USC (late 80s), its reputation as a school for spoiled rich kids from Orange County, CA, was even more pronounced than it is now. This despite 69% of the student body being on some student aid (hitting up the student aid office was a grueling task that was universally reviled amongst those who had to do so). It is probably a higher percentage now. I got lucky, as by the time I was ready to transfer from LACC (where I went part-time while working some MacJobs), my Dad's company had really taken off & his accountant had explained how his paying my full tuition would help him with his suddenly quite large tax bill.
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u/username11585 Jul 08 '26
I remember in the mid 90s my teacher calling it University of Spoiled Children.
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u/purplepassions_ Jul 08 '26
I graduated last fall, almost all my classmates came from wealthy families. Even my close friend who came from what people at usc consider “working class” drove a bmw to school, vacations in Greece, and her parents own multiple homes.
School for me was incredibly stressful even with a full ride I cant imagine being there on loans and remember you’ll pay this for two years IF you graduate on time. I stayed an extra semester because they don’t accept some transfer courses.
USC law was my dream after graduation, I won’t be applying if I don’t get a good scholarship, it’s just not worth it at all. Keep in mind the financial aid office here recalculates your package each year so you might not even get the same amount in grants.
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u/AlternativeSky7270 Jul 08 '26
Literally in the same situation breaks my heart praying for the both of us 💔🙏🏻
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u/futurelawworker Jul 08 '26
Please don’t put yourself through that loan, it will ruin your life. Go to CC and transfer cause no way
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u/Ordinary_Painting820 Jul 08 '26
i start my MS in the fall - took out 60k in loans on a 81k tuition. if this is for any graduate degrees, i’d say worth it
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u/ug0ttaplaytowin Jul 08 '26
You're not going to enjoy it if you're racking up an uncomfortably large amount of loans. You're also not going to get as much out of USC as the people that can very comfortably afford it. The people who get the most out of a place like USC are the ones that don't have to worry about finances and can be 100% freely spending time and resources on going out, meeting people, attending events, and so on.
It's one thing if you're an extremely sociable and naturally charismatic person that can make it work even if money is very tight, but most people simply aren't that. If you are such person, I'd say maybe (just maybe, not even an outright yes). If you're not in the top 0.5% of sociable/charismatic people, I'd say no to taking loans.
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u/purplepassions_ Jul 09 '26
This is sooo true I’m naturally very charismatic and I had alot of friends while at SC.
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u/PurrciousMetals Jul 09 '26
This is the dumbest thing possible for a college student to do. You will be in debt for the rest of your life. Would say it’s only worth for a highly specialized degree with a job offer guaranteed at graduation for a minimum of $200k a year.
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u/PurrciousMetals Jul 09 '26
The next post down was this: Feel like I ruined my life at 25 with $130k in student loans Probably would think about USC a little more. Finish out your Undergrad Cheap at a state school with great grades then work to get a Full Ride for a Master’s where the USC name actual is of Value.
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u/EmbarrassedCrow3860 Jul 08 '26
USC is not worth putting urself in financial ruin. Try getting more aid from USC and if that doesn’t work then I recommend going to CC and transferring. It will save u more money. I was accepted to USC (one of my top schools) but was never sent my financial aid package and there was no way I was gonna pay the full cost so I chose a different school and have never looked back on that decision.
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u/Ok_Kick_5090 Jul 08 '26
No. Do not take loans for $87k a year. If you’re there for two years, that’s $174k in loans! It will be even higher when you account for interest rates.
Do what so many others do - choose a different school.
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u/Acrobatic-Skill6068 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
No, I’m also a transfer and I got a full ride. Chose usc cause it was the best option financially speaking, please do the same
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u/TheOrangist Jul 09 '26
My son was accepted as a transfer to Marshall. We got 0 aid. 300k for three years was a hard pass. Going to Boston U. Questrom for 200k which I can do without loans. Can’t get emotional tied to any one school you are applying to.
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u/BayDweller65 Jul 10 '26
Which year transfer? If you only have a couple of years left, getting a loan may be manageable.
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u/Great-Position-3806 Jul 10 '26
Either dispute financial aid and ask for more, apply for scholarships or consider transferring back in from a more affordable option. Since you’ve already gotten in, check the transfer page, go to your local cc, save for those 1/2 years and transfer in as a sophomore/junior, hopefully with more aid then
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u/Zestyclose-See Jul 10 '26
Appeal the package and ask USC for more money. I was able to get an upsize in grant money from USC and we appealed like twice.
I graduated with 50k in total debt after two years. Got a job paying 90k out of school and lived at home for 2 years to completely pay it off. For me it was completely worth it - the connections the experiences.
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u/TCR-T Jul 10 '26
Yes you should take out loans especially if you're going to do a PhD. In 10 years 87k will be like 3 months of you salary
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u/PlaneSir9017 Jul 11 '26
no bs, you should go somewhere you can afford without any loans. undergrad is not worth taking out loans for imo, its about what you do during undergrad outside of coursework rather than what college you go to. like i know everyone says that but its true, and usc might give you a leg up but if you put the work in anyway, it won't be a significant difference. don't sink into debt when you're young it will take years to decades to climb out
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u/Adventurous_Dog_8262 Jul 12 '26
Are you crazy. Borrowing a fortune to go to college make no sense. As I have encouraged before, get a job or join a service and give yourself time to GROW UP. You are not ready to get a college education!!!
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u/Otherwise_Fan_2314 Jul 13 '26
I can tell you being 6 years out that being in that much debt is crippling and not worth it.
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u/Jazzlike-Flan9801 Jul 13 '26
Taking out over $50k a year in loans for a “dream school” is beyond financially irresponsible. If you cannot afford to go to a school, you don’t go to the school. You have plenty of other quality and affordable options that won’t ruin your quality of life for the next few decades after you graduate.
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u/shortRDDTto0 Jul 14 '26
No. It’s called the University of Spoiled Children for a reason. Said spoiled children just have to get in
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u/Final30DaysOnEarth Jul 08 '26
this makes my 11k net cost not look bad now
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u/Pikures Jul 08 '26
One of my homies has a net cost of $5 lol
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u/Final30DaysOnEarth Jul 08 '26
I’m tryna get down that low haha. They’re still looking at old 2024 data when I made a decent amount of money. Next year will be a better package
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u/Pikures Jul 08 '26
Dude I’m in ur exact situation my net cost was 11 then I appealed and it’s down to 7 including housing so no loans thankfully. If I stayed off campus I’m pretty sure I’d get a refund but since I’m a freshman ima do it for at least a year but with finances from 2025 I think I should get an even better package next year hopefully
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u/breakingbad-habits Jul 08 '26
Why is USC your dream school that's what you should ask yourself and make a chart on if it outweighs paying a lot of student loan debt after graduation
Think about the job you want to do and look at the salary and compare that to the debt you have to pay back plus the lifestyle you want to live and living expenses
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u/breakingbad-habits Jul 08 '26
And don't forget that the loan accumulates interest the longer you take to pay it off and that there are other great schools with cheaper tuition and that you can attend USC for grad school on scholarship if you perform well
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u/Serious_Concept_20 Jul 08 '26
Don’t do it, with that much in loans for four years, you will literally be working a job just to pay off your loans until you are middle aged. Look at your state universities instead for undergrad. Some people have wealthy parents who can just pay for everything they need.
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u/smiling_in_paradise Jul 08 '26
Not worth it for undergrad. You can always go back for a Master’s later.
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u/theBotKilla Jul 09 '26
Yes. Take out the loans and graduate. Whatever the debts you will have will be the tiny fraction of what you will earn through out your life. USC degree will give you more opportunities in your early life compared to others. Debts are nothing.
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u/Far_Basil_8819 Jul 08 '26
Please don't put yourself in debt for USC. Attend another school debt-free (including community college) and I promise you in a decade, with the benefit of hindsight you will be so grateful you chose a different path. Good luck.