<p>Word on the street is that USC gives good financial aid. I haven't received mine b/c I just faxed my parent's tax returns and I sent mine last week in the mail so I'm sure I won't be hearing from them until the very last minute. Maybe everyone can share their own aid or give an estimate of what 18,000 EFC, out of state would be like.</p>
<p>I believe financial aid may vary depending on how much they WANT the particular student. They award merit scholarships to some students, up to a few trustees scholarships with full tuition, but many with 1/2, 1/4, or less. My friend's son got a merit & need award that she believes was partly due to him pursuing a major that few others were pursuing (biology or chemistry, can't remember). The friend felt USC was very generous in their award & didn't require them to take out as much loan as they had feared. The grant amounts for him kept increasing with the increasing costs every year, so their net amount they had to borrow remained about the same for all 4 years. I have read that some folks ended up with increasing amounts of loan as the student remained at USC.
We didn't apply for need-based aid, so I haven't any additional info.</p>