Although the University of Southern California (USC) is a relatively young school among such prestigious company, it has become one of the premier schools in America and is the oldest private university in the western U.S.
USC, which enrolls more international students than any other American university, has 41,000 students, of whom 23,000 are seeking graduate or professional training. The university has an impressive $3.9 billion endowment which translates into a $646 million research budget.
The school has produced four Nobel Prize Laureates, three National Medal of Science winners, two National Medal of Technology recipients, and three MacArthur Fellows. The faculty also has 33 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 17 members of the Institute of Medicine, and 15 members of the National Academy of Sciences.
USC has produced many noteworthy alumni, such as Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Moreover, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has nominated at least one USC graduate every year since the creation of the Academy Awards in 1929.
