USC Residential Housing Association

What USC Residential Housing Association does

USC Residential Housing Association (operationally "USC Housing") is the on-campus residential housing division of the University of Southern California, a private nonprofit research university headquartered in Los Angeles. The unit operates and assigns approximately 40+ residential buildings across the University Park Campus, Health Sciences Campus, and North University Park area, providing beds and leases to freshman undergraduates, upperclassmen, graduate and professional students, married students, and student families. Inventory spans traditional residence halls (Birnkrant, Marks Tower, New North, Pardee), suite- and apartment-style freshman housing, undergraduate apartments, a deep graduate housing portfolio (24+ named buildings), and dedicated family housing (Bel-Air, Regal Trojan, Regent). The 2026-2027 living agreement is the primary contractual instrument, with 9-month academic-year and 12-month full-year contract options.

The underlying technology stack centers on the StarRez housing application portal for applications, assignments, roommate selection, renewals, and waitlist management, supplemented by a ResNet high-speed internet service, the Stream2 IPTV streaming platform (delivered via a core partnership with Apogee Telecom Inc. on mobile, Roku, FireTV, and AppleTV), an online work-order ticketing system at hsmtma.usc.edu, and a GradGuard-referred renters insurance program. Customer engagement is supported by eight regional Customer Service Centers distributed across campus clusters (Arts & Humanities, Cale and Irani, Cardinal Gardens, Century, McCarthy, Sierra, Troy, and the central Housing Services Office at 620 McCarthy Way), plus a 24/7 maintenance hotline.

USC Housing generates revenue primarily through monthly recurring rent (graduate units roughly $1,000-$2,000/month; family units $1,910-$2,363/month), mandatory or optional residential meal plans administered via USC Hospitality, conference and summer guest housing rentals during academic off-season, and a GradGuard insurance referral arrangement. Distribution is entirely institutional: students enter the funnel through USC admissions and apply via StarRez, with assignments governed by application date, space availability, and a renewal lottery (USC Housing Renewal/UHR). Specialized program offerings, including Residential Colleges, Living Learning Communities, and gender-inclusive housing, are used to differentiate inventory and reinforce retention across the USC student lifecycle.

Name

USC Residential Housing Association

Legal name

University of Southern California

Website

https://housing.usc.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

USC Housing is the on-campus residential housing division of the University of Southern California, operating 40+ buildings across its Los Angeles campuses to provide dormitory, apartment, graduate, and family housing to enrolled USC students, with rent, meal plans, and conference rentals as primary revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Student Housing

NAICS

Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131)

akta.pro primary industry

On-Campus University Housing Management (BPAJAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

University Dorms & Affiliated Summer Housing (THAMAGAA), Off-Campus / University-Affiliated Housing Management (EDAEAFAB), Guest, Visitor & Conference Housing Services (Summer/Break Housing) (EDAEAFAN), Student Housing Roommate Matching, Assignments & Occupancy Management (BPAJAJAJ)

Keywords

• University student housing
• Residential life services
• Campus housing management
• Student residence halls
• Graduate family housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Housing Rent: Monthly rental fees for university-owned housing units ranging from residence halls to apartments. Rent is billed as part of the living agreement contract. Pricing varies by building type, room configuration, and contract length (9-month academic year vs 12-month full year).
2. Residential Meal Plans: Mandatory or optional meal plan add-ons for residents, managed through USC Hospitality
3. Conference & Summer Guest Housing: Revenue from hosting summer conferences, guest housing, and meeting room rentals when academic housing is not in primary use
4. GradGuard Renters Insurance: Referral partnership providing optional renters insurance to residents, with administrative fees or referral arrangements

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

USC Housing provides on-campus residential housing to enrolled students of the University of Southern California, operating 40+ residence halls, suites, and apartments across the University Park and Health Sciences campuses for freshman, undergraduate, graduate, and family/married student populations. Housing is delivered under 9-month academic year or 12-month full-year living agreements, with bundled amenities including ResNet high-speed internet, Stream2 IPTV streaming (via Apogee Telecom), and access to residential meal plans through USC Hospitality.

Product overview

USC Housing provides comprehensive on-campus housing services for the University of Southern California, offering a diverse portfolio of housing options including Freshman Residence Halls, Freshman Suites, Freshman Apartments, Undergraduate Apartments, Graduate Housing, and Family Housing across multiple residential buildings and complexes. The service portfolio includes essential amenities such as ResNet internet service, the Stream2 TV streaming service, residential meal plans, maintenance work order systems, and various living/learning community programs. Housing applications and contract management are handled through an online portal. The service operates through Customer Service Centers located across different housing areas and supports special housing programs including Gender-Inclusive Housing, Living Learning Communities, and Residential Colleges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stream2: A streaming service app for USC Housing residents to watch TV on personal devices

Products and services

• Freshman Residence Halls
• Freshman Suites
• Freshman Apartments
• Undergraduate Apartments
• Graduate Housing
• Family Housing
• Conference & Summer Guest Housing
• GradGuard Renters Insurance Referral
• Residential Meal Plans

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple campus locations serving diverse student populations from freshman to doctoral candidates

Named customers1 record

Segments6 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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Apogee Telecom Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationProvides Stream2 IPTV streaming service allowing residents to watch live TV and stream content on mobile devices, Roku, FireTV, and AppleTV. Service is available on-campus and requires connection to USC Secure Wifi, USCResNet, or USCNET.
• GradGuardminorOthersProvides renters insurance program for USC Housing residents, offering protection for personal belongings and liability coverage.
• Off-Campus 101 (OCH)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOff-campus housing listing service for USC students seeking non-university housing options. Operated by NUP (nup.och101.com). Provides listings when USC Housing cannot accommodate all applicants.
• American Campus (Currie Hall)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCurrie Hall student housing property near Health Sciences Campus, listed as USC-approved housing option for HSC students. Managed by American Campus Communities.
• Residential Education (RESED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner department providing residential education programming, Living Learning Communities, and Residential Colleges within USC Housing facilities. Integrates academic and student life programming.
• USC HospitalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides dining services and meal plans for residential students. Coordinates with housing on mandatory and optional meal plan offerings.
• USC TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides parking permits, Campus Cruiser service, and shuttle bus stops at various housing locations. Essential partner for resident transportation needs.
• USC Department of Public Safety (DPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides 24/7 patrol services in DPS Patrol Areas covering campus housing locations and surrounding neighborhoods. Ensures resident safety.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Columbia Residential Operations: Columbia University's housing division runs comparable in-house residence halls and apartment housing for undergraduates, graduate students, and families at a private research university in a high-cost urban market.
• NYU Housing & Residence Life: NYU operates an in-house university housing program for its students in New York with similarly tiered offerings (traditional halls, apartments, graduate and family housing) and integrated residential education programming directly comparable to USC Housing.
• UC Berkeley Cal Housing: UC Berkeley's on-campus housing service is a structurally analogous university-owned student housing operation in California, with similar room tiers, dining integration, and residential life programming.
• Stanford University Residential & Dining Enterprises: Stanford RDE operates on-campus housing and dining for Stanford students with comparable residential college programs, Living Learning Communities, and family/graduate housing options at a top-tier private research university.
• UCLA Housing & Dining Services: UCLA's on-campus housing division operates a comparable university-affiliated housing portfolio for UCLA students in Los Angeles, with similar product tiers (residence halls, suites, apartments, family housing) and the same captive institutional model as USC Housing.

Broad incumbents

• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Greystar is one of the largest global student and multifamily housing operators and managers; it competes for off-campus student demand adjacent to USC and other major universities through purpose-built student housing properties.
• American Campus Communities: American Campus Communities is the largest publicly traded student housing owner/operator in the US and is explicitly named as a partner operating Currie Hall near USC's Health Sciences Campus, making it both a partial competitor and a partner in the USC market.
• EdR (now part of Greystar) — Education Realty Trust: EdR was a major publicly traded owner/operator of purpose-built student housing communities serving dozens of US universities; it provides a comparable externalized operating model to the in-house USC Housing function and competes for off-campus student demand.

Others

• Apogee Telecom: Apogee Telecom provides the Stream2 IPTV streaming service and ResNet-style internet infrastructure to USC Housing residents; it is a key technology partner and serves many similar university housing operations across the US.
• StarRez Housing Software: StarRez is the platform that powers USC Housing's application, assignment, roommate matching, and renewal workflows; it is a critical technology enabler and indirect ecosystem participant across the broader university housing sector.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/experienceusc
• Facebookfacebook.com/experienceusc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usc-residential-housing-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about USC Residential Housing Association