Money Matters

Please note that given below is just a rough estimate and should not be taken as final or binding! Use it as a guide, at the best!

I don't have assistantship, I don't have a job, I don't even have money to finance myself, but I still want to come to USC ! What should I do?

This is probably the most frequently asked question by new students. So here it is, all that you want to know about financing your studies at USC!

USC is a private school, and a high ranked one! So it is very costly as compared to other schools in the US. The unit rate at USC is presently approximately $1195 ( Graduate School ). Compare this with about $300 to $600 in most other schools and you realize that you actually end up spending almost twice to thrice as much when you study at USC. Now for a Masters program you have to complete at least 27 to 32 credits depending on your specialization, architecture has about 48! So your fees amount to 27 * 1195 for your MS. This is the bare education cost, add to this the expenditure on health insurance, books, deposits.. .and you are already broke! And what about living, laundry, food, eating out, having fun, watching movies? Add about a $550-700 per month for all this (including the rent).

Reading the above, you must have already decided to drop USC off your list, changed your plans or feeling bad about choosing USC, BUT WAIT, there are ways to get through this..

Assistantship Facts

If you have assistantship before you come here, life is bed of roses for you (apart from all the hard work you will do as a TA/RA)! Don't worry enjoy, have a ball! If you land up in USC with out any assistantship and you are not a Ph.D. student, then the chances of you getting any kind of assistantship are quite difficult. There are opportunities available and there are quite a few people who have managed to get assistantship after coming here. However the way in which one gets assistantship is totally arbitary. There is no general fair or unfair algorithm applied when it comes to granting assistantship. You have to be at the right place at the right time, and you should be lucky. So the bottom line is dont bank on any sort of assistantship. Assume you won't get it.

On-Campus jobs

Full-time students can basically work 20 hours per week on campus. There are various on-campus jobs available. We have students as teaching assistants, web masters, computer technicians, librarians, and user room operators. We have students working at the cafeteria, Cafe 84, Juice centers, and even in the department of public safety as student policemen! The cafeteria jobs are easiest to get, and teaching assistants and other IT related are tougher. They pay anywhere from $6.75 to $18 per hour. These jobs typically take care of your house rent and living expenses if used judiciously.

So how do I get these jobs?

There is no "central" job database in USC, which makes job-search one of the most time-consuming thing after you come to USC. You can visit various places at USC offering such jobs and ask around. There is also a USC Job Website and The Daily Trojay (USC newsletter) where you can check for any openings. You can also approach the departments and professors directly and ask them if they have any jobs. The key is to research, ask! Ask any and every one. Networking is the mantra here (and this is what USC is famous for). If things are not working out for you, ask yourself if you are asking enough. Everyone who really tries to get a job gets one.

Internships

Students are eligible to work off-campus after an academic year in F-1 status i.e. Fall and a Spring (Summers do not count). To work off-campus, workauthorization is required. Internship recruitment is through a plethora of sources. USC has an on campus recruitment center that helps students out. Asking friends/relatiives who are already working in some company also helps. There is this very thing that you are looking at The Internet:.

Payment modes

Fees can either be paid in bulk for the semester or by the payment plan(monthly installments).

Fees are payable in the form of a demand draft payable to University of Southern California. (Please check the WELCOME brochure for details about this, this information is from last year, things might have changed this year!)

The payment plan splits the payment of fees across a given period. So you can pay your fees in 10 installments instead of bulk. These are interest free, i.e., you don't have to pay a dime more for the fees if you pay by the plan. However options like direct deposit from bank will cost an additional $50. Don't worry too much about this you can enroll in the installment plan once you are here. So that's about all that you need to know about MONEY MATTERS. If you need to know anything more feel free to contact any of the committee members.