Academic Excellence in our DNA
It goes without saying that excellence in the classroom is a hallmark of USC. As one of the nation’s leading academic institutions, USC is a place where the nation’s brightest students are challenged, make new discoveries and learn skills that will help them succeed in life.
(USC Photo)
Top Headlines
About 150,000 people came to what has become the largest literary and cultural festival in the nation. See our favorite photos from a fun-filled weekend.
It’s the program’s first Big Ten regular season championship, and first conference title since 2015.
USC is the only university on the tour, an exhibition that brings some of America’s most significant founding-era documents to communities around the country.
PODCAST: The president sits down with one of the nation’s leading scholars of early North America to discuss his new book Contested Continent, the deeper forces that shaped the nation’s founding, and the lasting value of studying history.
An Unparalleled Student Experience
USC offers a transformational education that instills a lifelong passion for achievement, offering learning experiences on the West Coast, in the nation’s capital and around the world.
The Education of a Lifetime
USC gives 21,000 undergraduate and 25,000 graduate and professional students extraordinary educational opportunities and so much more. What’s more, two-thirds of our undergrads receive some sort of financial aid, and incoming first-year students from U.S. families with an income of $80,000 or less and typical assets can attend USC tuition free.
Academic Honors Convocation celebrates USC scholars for innovative research and achievements
USC Viterbi Dean Yannis C. Yortsos and USC Health Chief Clinical Officer David H. Peng receive Presidential Medallions.
Alumna leverages master’s degree to pivot into AI
Victoria Makanjuola planned to build a career in media and the creative industries. Instead, her USC degree let her move into the tech world.
Scholarship celebration recognizes the power of philanthropy
USC Marshall/USC Leventhal event brings together more than 250 donors and donor representatives, students, faculty and staff.
USC’s ‘most calming professor’ shares a sleepy story
USC School of Dramatic Arts Professor Oliver Mayer recorded his somnolent story for the new Calm Sleep app.
USC student-athletes set another record for academic performance
Every USC team finished the fall 2025 semester with a GPA above 3.0.
Scholarship, Achievement and Impact
At USC, academic excellence is defined by bold ideas, rigorous scholarship and the achievements of faculty and students across disciplines.
USC Recognizes Amy Lee’s Research Career in Cancer and Disease
Amy Lee received the 2026 USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award for foundational research on the role of proteins in normal physiology, cancer and other diseases. The honor recognizes a career of scientific impact across cancer and disease research.
USC Annenberg Named Outstanding Program, Student Wins National Honor
At the 2026 PRWeek US Awards, USC Annenberg’s public relations and advertising program was named Outstanding Education Program, and junior Sophie Schaked was recognized as the nation’s Outstanding Student. The awards highlight both program strength and student achievement.
USC Earth Scientist Named Editor-in-Chief of Leading Research Journal
Sarah Feakins, professor of Earth sciences at USC Dornsife, has been named editor-in-chief of Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. In the role, she will oversee research publication and peer review while helping connect the field’s work to broader public understanding.
USC Marshall Team Wins Global Case Competition
A team of USC Marshall full-time MBA students won the 2026 Global Case Competition, hosted at USC Marshall’s Popovich Hall. Their win came against top business schools from around the world.
USC Doctoral Student Wins Machtey Award for Quantum Cryptography Breakthrough
Miryam Huang became the first USC student to win the Machtey Award for solving a cryptographic problem first posed in 1976 and later asked as an open question in the quantum setting. Her work carries important implications for quantum cryptography.
Critical Policy Collective Connects Research and Education Policy
USC Rossier scholars in the Critical Policy Collective are producing accessible policy research and engaging with policymakers shaping the future of K-12 and higher education. The group brings doctoral students, faculty and a postdoctoral fellow together around education policy action.
A Rare Look at America’s Founding Documents
USC Fisher Museum of Art is welcoming the Freedom Plane National Tour, bringing Southern California a rare chance to experience original founding-era documents up close.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. USC is the only university stop on the national tour.
Spotlight: USC Leventhal School of Accounting
A global leader in accounting education, the USC Leventhal School of Accounting combines academic excellence with a forward-looking, industry-connected approach. With top-ranked programs, a close-knit learning environment and deep ties to the business community, Leventhal prepares students with the technical expertise, critical thinking and an ethical foundation to lead across accounting, finance and data-driven industries.
Around the University
USC VanEck Southern California Blockchain Conference
The University of Southern California and the USC Marshall VanEck Digital Assets Initiative bring together leading students, faculty and industry voices to explore the future of digital assets and blockchain technology.
Set at Ginsburg Hall and the USC Caruso Catholic Center, this annual two-day event highlights emerging trends, cutting-edge research and the community driving innovation in the field.
Co-hosted by the USC Marshall VanEck Digital Assets Initiative and BlockchainSC, the event is free and open to all. Academics, researchers, enthusiasts and builders are welcome.
Wednesday, April 22 to Thursday, April 23, 2026
