Clarification on USC's status

Hey! I'm feeling a bit confused about the University of Southern California's (USC) status. I've heard it being referred to as a private university, but also seen it associated in discussions about public universities. Is USC private or public? Could anyone help clarify this for me?

Hello! This is a rather common confusion because the University of Southern California (USC) has a name that implies it may be a part of a public state system, such as the University of California system or the California State University system. However, USC is in fact a private institution.

USC’s affiliation is in its name because it was established by Los Angeles residents who intended for it to serve California, but it’s not governed or funded by the state of California. This is the key distinction: public universities are funded and overseen by the state, whereas private universities like USC are independently operated and funded through tuition, donations, and endowments.

So, despite the name and its dedication to serving the California community, USC is a private institution and operates independently from state-run university systems. This means it controls its own tuition and fees, admissions requirements, programs, and policies separate from the state. I hope this clears the confusion for you!