USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

What USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences does

USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is USC's largest academic unit, founded in 1880 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It operates as a non-profit constituent college of the University of Southern California, spanning four academic divisions—Humanities, Life Sciences, Math and Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences—across 40-plus departments and numerous research centers and institutes. The college serves undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students as its primary customers, with secondary engagement to K-12 students, alumni, and public/private sector organizations.

The college's core offerings include traditional undergraduate majors and minors, PhD programs (supported through the PhD Academy), and master's and professional studies, alongside signature innovations such as Dornsife Intensives (a new employer-informed undergraduate credential) and Public Exchange (a first-of-its-kind platform that fast-tracks academic research collaboration with public and private sector organizations). Research capabilities span quantum information science, AI for Good, neuroscience neuroimaging, synthetic biology, translational imaging, and computational biology, supported by facilities such as the Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroimaging Center and partnerships including the Simons Observatory.

Revenue is generated through tuition and fees, federal and private research grants (NSF, NIH, Mellon Foundation and others), private philanthropy (notably a $200 million gift from Mark and Mary Stevens for AI research and the foundational Dornsife endowment), and academic programs and credential revenue. The college distributes programs through USC's centralized undergraduate and graduate admissions portals, a multi-channel digital and event marketing program, and direct enterprise partnerships via Public Exchange. Marketing and outreach span The Conversation, USC Dornsife Magazine, multiple segmented e-newsletters, social media, and major events including the Science Olympiad National Tournament and Dornsife Dialogues.

Name

USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Legal name

USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Website

https://dornsife.usc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

USC Dornsife is the largest academic unit of the University of Southern California, offering undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programs across 40+ departments in humanities, life sciences, math and physical sciences, and social sciences, plus research and partnership programs including Dornsife Intensives and Public Exchange.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Liberal arts college
• Graduate programs
• Academic research
• Undergraduate education

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from undergraduate and graduate tuition and associated academic fees for the liberal arts and sciences programs.
2. Research Grants and Sponsored Programs: Federal, state, and private research funding from agencies including NSF, NIH, Mellon Foundation and others supporting faculty research across all divisions.
3. Private Philanthropy and Donations: Gifts and donations from alumni, individuals, and foundations including major donors such as Mark and Mary Stevens ($200 million for AI research) and benefactors Dana and David Dornsife.
4. Academic Programs and Credential Revenue: Revenue from specialized programs including Dornsife Intensives, master's and professional studies, and executive education offerings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences delivers undergraduate majors and minors, PhD programs, master's and professional studies, and undergraduate credential programs (including Dornsife Intensives) across humanities, life sciences, math and physical sciences, and social sciences. It also operates Public Exchange, a first-of-its-kind model that pairs academic researchers with public and private sector organizations to solve complex problems, and provides centralized academic support through Academic Service Hubs.

Product overview

USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is an academic institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and services. The institution provides undergraduate majors and minors, PhD studies, and master's and professional programs across four main divisions: Humanities, Life Sciences, Math and Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences. Key offerings include Dornsife Intensives (a new undergraduate credential program), the Academic Service Hubs (centralized student support across divisions), and Public Exchange (a collaboration platform connecting academic researchers with public and private sectors). The institution houses numerous departments, centers, and institutes supporting research and academic excellence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dornsife Intensives An undergraduate credential program in which students complete three courses in focused areas of study to develop rare depth in practical issues organizations are working through right now; the credential appears on the diploma and transcript. Targeted at USC Dornsife undergraduates.
• Academic Service Hubs (Dornsife ASH/DASH) Centralized academic support hubs providing advising, program management, and administrative services across the Humanities, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, and Social Sciences divisions for USC Dornsife students.
• Public Exchange A partnership and collaboration platform that connects USC Dornsife academic researchers with government agencies, nonprofits, and private companies to define, analyze, and solve complex problems.
• Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Programs Comprehensive undergraduate majors, minors, PhD programs, master's programs, and professional studies across humanities, life sciences, math and physical sciences, and social sciences disciplines at USC Dornsife.

Quantifiable outcome

• Science Olympiad hosting: 120 teams from nearly 7,000 initial teams competed, with 2,000+ student participants and 400+ volunteers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Science OlympiadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSC Dornsife and USC Viterbi co-sponsored the 42nd annual Science Olympiad National Tournament, the first to be held in California, bringing 120 teams and 2,000+ students to USC's University Park Campus.
• Simons Observatory CollaborationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSC Dornsife's Department of Physics and Astronomy is an institutional partner in the international Simons Observatory Collaboration to build next-generation CMB telescopes in Chile's Atacama Desert.
• CLEAN Project (FireAid and LA Care)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CLEAN project, led by USC Dornsife Public Exchange with funding partners FireAid and LA Care, involves soil testing in areas affected by the 2025 Los Angeles fires. Faculty including Seth John, Josh West, and Noelle Held led community-facing soil testing and translated environmental hazard science into actionable public guidance.
• STEAM-Powered CareersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDieuwertje Jasmijn Kast at USC Dornsife's Joint Educational Project created the STEAM-Powered Careers children's book series, a collaboration that has reached tens of thousands of students.
• The ConversationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Conversation is a leading academic media platform through which USC Dornsife faculty share research with general audiences. Articles reach millions through syndication to major media outlets. USC Dornsife scholars have had articles republished dozens of times, with some earning hundreds of thousands of online views.
• USC Viterbi School of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSC Dornsife co-sponsors events and programs with USC Viterbi including the Science Olympiad National Tournament and Quantum Information Science initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Direct peers

• UCLA College of Letters and Science: UCLA's largest academic unit covering humanities, social sciences, life sciences, and physical sciences. It is the closest geographic and structural peer to USC Dornsife as both are large private/public R1 college-of-arts-and-sciences units in Los Angeles.
• UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science: The largest college at UC Berkeley with comparable scope across humanities, social sciences, math/physical sciences, and biological sciences. Similar role as USC Dornsife within its parent R1 university.
• Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences: Stanford's largest school, spanning humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Comparable in private R1 status, research intensity, and breadth of departments to USC Dornsife.
• Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences: Harvard FAS is the largest academic unit within Harvard, covering humanities, sciences, and social sciences with 40+ departments. Closely mirrors USC Dornsife's structure and role as the liberal arts/sciences core of a private R1.
• Columbia College of Arts and Sciences: Columbia College is Columbia University's largest undergraduate/graduate arts and sciences division. Comparable private R1 arts-and-sciences structure with similar breadth across humanities, sciences, and social sciences.
• MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences: MIT SHASS is the humanities/social sciences counterpart at MIT, embedded in a private R1 alongside other science/engineering schools. Comparable role and interdisciplinary positioning as USC Dornsife within USC.
• NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science: NYU's largest graduate arts and sciences division covering humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Comparable private R1 urban university with similar scale and research/teaching scope.
• Yale Faculty of Arts and Sciences: Yale FAS is Yale's core academic division with comprehensive arts and sciences coverage. Closely comparable private R1 college-of-arts-and-sciences structure with similar department breadth.
• Princeton School of Public and International Affairs: Princeton's arts-and-sciences core including SPIA and natural sciences. Comparable private R1 liberal arts college structure, although smaller in scale than USC Dornsife.

Broad incumbents

• USC Viterbi School of Engineering: USC Viterbi is the engineering sibling school at USC, co-hosting Science Olympiad and AI/quantum programs with Dornsife. Comparable as a peer USC school but with an engineering rather than arts/sciences focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usc_cfr
• Instagraminstagram.com/uscdornsife
• Facebookfacebook.com/uscdornsife
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uscdornsife

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences