<p>As an alum and current grad student at USC, I have to disagree with your statement that they give out no aid. OP gave no insight as to whether or not she was applying for financial aid – but given the state of the economy and many families these days, I’m going to assume she might. </p>
<p>USC prides itself on being able to cover most (if not all) of a student’s demonstrated need. I came from a very middle class family in Northern California. The UCs said that I didn’t show a “demonstrated financial need” despite having a mediocre EFC and my parents living off one in income at the time; USC, on the other hand, covered about 90% of my college career through a combination of grants and scholarships (I took the rest out in loans.)</p>
<p>USC also has many scholarships that aren’t for National Merit students that incoming freshman can apply for. A few of these $5k scholarships and a student can cover a large portion of their education.</p>