PlainCollege

University of Southern California vs Columbia University in the City of New York

Los Angeles, CA · New York, NY · largest Scorecard gap: acceptance rate

Scorecard match plate

Pair CA:NY

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-ACCEPT

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE CA × NY
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-SPLIT Debt split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-ACCEPT Largest gap · Acceptance Rate

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the ENROLL-RACE · narrow · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Nearly parallel enrollment growth

ENROLL-RACE · narrow · 2013–2023

Undergraduate headcount rose at both University of Southern California and Columbia University in the City of New York across 2013–2023 on similar paces, while acceptance rates tightened on both sides, a growth-under-squeeze pattern rather than a pure size race.

  • University of Southern California: enrollment grew +15.1% over 2013–2023; fitted +285 students/yr fitted, r² 0.94.
  • Columbia University in the City of New York: enrollment grew +11.7% over 2013–2023; fitted +92 students/yr fitted, r² 0.74.
  • University of Southern California: acceptance rate tightened -49.5% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.80).
  • Columbia University in the City of New York: acceptance rate tightened -43.0% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.79).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: University of Southern California vs Columbia University in the City of New York

  1. ACCEPTANCE-RATE Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate (4.0% vs 9.8% at University of Southern California)
  2. AVG-NET-PRICE Columbia University in the City of New York leads on avg net price ($21,590 vs $32,740 at University of Southern California)
  3. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA University of Southern California leads on median debt at graduation ($18,000 vs $21,500 at Columbia University in the City of New York)

University of Southern California profile · Columbia University in the City of New York profile · Compare other colleges

Acceptance Rate and other Scorecard questions

On acceptance rate, who leads between University of Southern California and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate at 4.0% versus 9.8% at University of Southern California. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On avg net price, who leads between University of Southern California and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Columbia University in the City of New York leads on avg net price at $21,590 versus $32,740 at University of Southern California. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median debt at graduation, who leads between University of Southern California and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
University of Southern California leads on median debt at graduation at $18,000 versus $21,500 at Columbia University in the City of New York. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); acceptance rate focus for this pair · 2025