Southern California vs Georgetown - US university comparison
KEY DATA
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATISTICS
The verdict, from the data
A place is harder to win where the bar sits higher: Southern California admits 9.8%, Georgetown admits 13.5%.
Average aid for an international student is $75,050 (Georgetown) and $25,384 (Southern California).
The cheaper tuition belongs to Southern California: $68,687 against $74,732, or $6,045 less a year.
The gap in median earnings after a decade favours Georgetown: $103K against $92K.
None of these figures decides on its own; what decides is which course you want to be on, and on what budget.
Every sentence above comes from a field we hold in canonical. Where the data is missing, or the gap is small enough to be noise, the sentence simply does not appear.
EXPERT TAKE
Southern California is the more selective of the two (9.81% vs 13.5% acceptance). Southern California ranks higher in the ARWU world research ranking (#62 vs #501-600). Georgetown graduates earn a higher median 10 years after enrollment ($103K vs $92K). Southern California has lower sticker-price tuition ($68,687 vs $74,732 per year).
Both universities have complete, comparable data in canonical - the choice should come down to fit (campus culture, major, aid package) alongside the differences visible in the numbers below.
Choose Southern California for: a higher world ranking, higher selectivity, lower tuition.
Choose Georgetown for: higher graduate earnings, a higher graduation rate, higher retention.
College Council Atlas analysis · IPEDS / College Scorecard CDS 2024-25, ARWU 2024.
BY THE NUMBERS
Southern California is more selective (9.81% vs 13.5% acceptance); Southern California has a higher median SAT (1495 vs 1480).
Georgetown graduates earn a higher median 10 years after enrollment ($103K vs $92K); Georgetown has a higher 6-year graduation rate (94.8% vs 91.8%).
Southern California has lower sticker-price tuition ($68,687 vs $74,732); Southern California offers a larger average aid package ($71,169 vs $63,415).
VALUE LANDSCAPE
FULL DATA TABLE
| Metric | Southern California | Georgetown |
|---|---|---|
| World rank · ARWU | #62 | #501-600 |
| Rank · THE | #72 | - |
| Acceptance rate | 9.81% | 13.5% |
| Yield rate | 43.3% | 43.9% |
| Median SAT | 1495 | 1480 |
| Avg. GPA | 3.80 | - |
| Number of applications | 82,027 | 26,822 |
| International students | 13.2% | 14.4% |
| Median earnings · 10 yrs | $92K | $103K |
| Bottom 25% earnings · 10 yrs | $59K | $67K |
| Top 25% earnings · 10 yrs | $141K | $168K |
| Graduation rate | 91.8% | 94.8% |
| Retention rate | 95.6% | 96.3% |
| Median debt | $18,000 | $15,500 |
| Tuition · year | $68,687 | $74,732 |
| Avg. aid package | $71,169 | $63,415 |
| % of need met | 99.3% | 100% |
| Avg. graduate debt | $27,678 | $33,272 |
| Application fee | $85 | $75 |
| Enrollment | 46,566 | 19,905 |
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is it harder to get into Southern California or Georgetown?
It's harder to get into Southern California. Southern California accepts 9.81% of applicants, while Georgetown accepts 13.5%.
Do Southern California or Georgetown graduates earn more?
Georgetown graduates earn more: the median 10 years after enrollment is $103K vs $92K.
How much is tuition at Southern California vs Georgetown?
Sticker-price tuition is $68,687 per year at Southern California and $74,732 per year at Georgetown.
What SAT score do you need for Southern California or Georgetown?
The median admitted SAT score is 1495 at Southern California and 1480 at Georgetown; aim for these values or higher to be competitive.
Which university ranks higher - Southern California or Georgetown?
Southern California ranks higher in the ARWU world ranking: #62 for Southern California vs #501-600 for Georgetown.
Which university offers more financial aid - Southern California or Georgetown?
The average aid package is $71,169 at Southern California and $63,415 at Georgetown.
Harvard
Stanford
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Princeton
Yale
Cornell
Penn
Johns Hopkins
Washington University
Northwestern