University of Southern California

The University of Southern California, a private research university located in Los Angeles also known as USC, has grown from 53 students in 1880 to 37,000 students today. The university has more students in its 17 graduate and professional programs than in its undergraduate programs. With an endowment fund of $2.9 billion, the university spends over half a billion dollars a year on sponsored research. USC has indicated its commitment to innovation by establishing the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation to manage intellectual property created by USC researchers, help those researchers find funding to develop their ideas, and support start-up companies. U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 23rd in its Best Colleges 2011 report.