USC Cost of Attendance vs Other Schools
Looking for some advice here.
I know people are quick to criticize USC for being an expensive program, but I looked through their actual 2026–2027 cost of attendance breakdown and wanted to share what I found.
I compared the estimated four-year COA for USC, WesternU, Loma Linda, Midwestern-AZ, and ASDOH, while factoring in a 3–5% annual tuition increase. USC is still expensive, no doubt, but their COA also seems to include more items in the breakdown compared to some of the other schools. For example, USC’s COA includes costs like disability insurance, supplies, and scrubs, which may not be listed as clearly or included in the same way in every school’s breakdown.
I should also note that my calculations do not include living expenses because, in my case, I expect them to be relatively similar regardless of where I attend. My personal estimate is around $1,500/month for rent, $500/month for utilities, and $500/month for food, which comes out to about $2,500/month for basic living expenses. This would tack on $120,000 to these programs. I did factor in the "supplies" from each school's breakdown to make it even with USC.
I also removed health insurance from all of these schools, as staying on your parents' plan is an option for the majority of us.
I am definitely not saying this amount of debt is okay, but unfortunately, it seems like this is the reality for a lot of us going into dental school. My main point is that while USC is clearly expensive, I think it is worth looking closely at what is actually included in each school’s cost of attendance before assuming the gap is as large as it first appears.
