By the Numbers
1000
Student Veterans Each Year
200-250 undergraduate, 750 graduate
Additional 200+ military dependents
400
Faculty & Staff Veterans
180 in the Keck School of Medicine or Keck Hospitals of USC
$528M
In Actively Funded DoD Projects
Consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation, contributing to military research and solutions
70
WWII, Korean War, & Vietnam Era Veterans Honored (From Trojan Family)
Including 5 Tuskegee Airmen Veterans and 2 Japanese-American Nisei Veterans
1st
College In U.S. to Receive a Flight Simulator From The U.S. Air Force
A virtual reality simulator to prepare our Air Force ROTC cadets for their careers
289
Veterans & Dependents in Our MSW Program
The highest concentration of VA benefit users in any one program at USC
$3.5M+
Contributed From USC to Yellow Ribbon Scholarships Each Year
Undergraduate veterans and dependents who are 100% eligible for their GI Bill can use this supplement, matched by the VA, to graduate debt-free
300+
Entities in LA Veterans Collaborative
Coordinated through USC, this group is working to improve veteran access to services, reducing barriers, and influencing policy to better military families’ lives
250
250 Students in 3 ROTC Programs
USC is 1 of only 60 colleges to house all 3 ROTC programs on campus
Unlimited
Undergraduate Yellow Ribbon Fellowships
For an unlimited amount of funding each semester, meaning eligible undergraduate veterans can graduate debt-free
USC Military History Project
USC is proud to continue our Military History Project, which includes honoring our Trojan Family military alumni and their families at our annual ROTC & Veterans Gala or in their homes, filming their stories, archiving photos and documents, and highlighting them on our @uscmilitarystories Instagram account. We are currently focused on honoring WWII-era, Korean War-era, and Vietnam War-era veterans in the Trojan Family, most of whom are alumni.
Application Fee Waivers for Veterans & Military Family Members for Applicants
Veterans and active-duty members have had fee waivers for undergraduate applications for many years now. In 2017, USC extended the undergraduate fee waiver to military spouses and dependents. This fee waiver should be completed through the Common Application website, on the USC supplemental home page.
Veterans and active-duty members also receive fee waivers for graduate applications. More details here.
With Your Shield: A McMorrow Veterans Initiative
USC offers a certificate program through the Marshall School of Business to ensure the successful transition of veteran families into civilian life. The program is designed to open up employment and educational opportunities for veterans and spouses, prepare veterans for the psychological pressures of transition, and ensure a lifetime connection to the USC network for the veteran and spouse all at no cost to the family. Initially offered only to Naval Special Warfare military members and their families.
Veterans Housing Initiative
Since August 2018, USC housing has offered affordable housing to student veterans for 12-month (and longer) contracts. This helps ensure housing security in the summer months, as veterans often do not move out of Los Angeles in those interim months.
Distinguished military alumni of USC include three Medal of Honor recipients, two four-star generals, three astronauts, two Olympians, a Secretary of State, a Deputy Secretary of Defense, and a litany of groundbreakers including the first man to walk on the moon, the first African-American female to reach the rank of lieutenant general in the U.S. Air Force, and the first U.S. general born in Vietnam.
- Ira C. Eaker (BA, 1934) – General, United States Army Air Forces
- Benjamin L. Salomon (DDS, 1937) – Front-line surgeon, United States Army; Medal of Honor recipient (year of honor 1944)
- Jerry D. Page (BS, 1937) – Major General, United States Air Force; Commandant, Air War College
- Iris Cummings Critchell (BS, 1941) – Pilot (only female graduate of 1941 Civilian Pilot Training Program at USC); Olympic swimmer; developed USC College of Aeronautics (now USC Aviation Safety and Security Program)
- Louis Zamperini (BA, 1940) – Olympic runner; World War II Prisoner of War; Captain, U.S. Army Air Forces
- Paul Ignatius (BA, 1942) – Secretary of the Navy, 1967-1969; Assistant Secretary of Defense, 1964-1967
- Warren Christopher (BS, 1945) – U.S. Secretary of State, 1993-1997; Ensign, U.S. Naval Reserve
- William L. McGonagle (BA, 1947) – Captain, USS Liberty (AGTR-5), U.S. Navy; Medal of Honor recipient (year of honor 1967)
- Rudolph B. Davila (BA 1952, MA 1959) – First Lieutenant, U.S. Army; Medal of Honor recipient (year of honor 1944)
- Norman Schwarzkopf (ME, 1964) – Four-star General, U.S. Army
- Neil Armstrong (ME, 1970) – Astronaut and first man to walk on the moon; Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
- Jack K. Farris (MS, 1973) – Major General, U.S. Air Force
- Michael J. Williams (1974) – Four-star General, U.S. Marine Corps; Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, 2000-2002
- Charles F. Bolden, Jr. (MS, 1977) – Major General, United States Marine Corps; 12th Administrator of NASA; astronaut; two-time USC trustee
- David G. Young III (MD, 1977) – Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force; Commander, 59th Medical Wing
- Dennis R. Larsen (MS, 1978) – Lieutenant General, U.S. Air Force
- Robert O. Work (MS, 1980) – 32nd Deputy Secretary of Defense, 2014-2017; Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps
- Carlos I. Noriega (BS, 1981) – Astronaut; installed first solar arrays on International Space Station; Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps
- Stayce D. Harris (BS, 1981) – Lieutenant General, U.S. Air Force; first African-American female to hold three-star rank in U.S. Air Force
- Frances C. Wilson (EdD, 1981) – Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps; President, National Defense University, 2006-2009
- Nancy J. Currie-Gregg (MS, 1985) – Astronaut and veteran of four Space Shuttle missions; Colonel, U.S. Army
- Viet Luong (BS, 1987), Major General, U.S. Army; first U.S. general born in Vietnam
- Sandra Finan (MS, 1989) – Major General, U.S. Air Force
- Paul M. Nakasone (Master’s, 1989) – Four-star General, U.S. Army; Commander, U.S. Army Cyber Command; Director, National Security Agency
- Harold J. Greene (MS 1989, MS 1990, PhD 1992) – Major General, U.S. Army; highest ranking casualty of the War in Afghanistan