Making a USC Education Accessible and Affordable

President Carol L. Folt recently announced a major expansion of financial aid, with the implementation of two new policies that will make a USC education accessible and affordable to deserving students from mid- to low-income families. Beginning next fall, all entering first-year undergraduate students from the U.S. whose families’ annual income is $80,000 or less will attend USC tuition-free.

In addition, the university will no longer include home equity in calculating students’ financial need. At a time when approximately 42 million Americans owe nearly $1.5 trillion in student debt, USC is taking immediate action to help families struggling to pay for the rising costs of a college education.

Access and affordability are a top priority for President Folt, who is passionate about creating opportunities for the best and brightest students from all backgrounds to study at USC.

By helping those most in need, we are staying true to the university’s academic mission: educating the future leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, artists and scholars who will make a positive impact on the world.

Please join me in celebrating this historic announcement—a moment of great pride for our university and the Trojan Family.

Fight On!

Patrick E. Auerbach EdD ’08
Associate Senior Vice President for Alumni Relations