Undergrad USC vs Rutgers

I am a transfer student coming from a CC in NJ. So far I have been accepted into Rutgers (state school/ fall back) and USC Marhsall. As of right now I am looking at the full sticker price at both to finish my last 2 years of undergrad. I am still waiting on decisions from Georgetown and Villanova as well. I need some help in deciding where to finish my undergrad.

I know placement for a finance student at Rutgers is dismal, so if I attend RU I'd focus on accounting and try and break into the big 4. On the other hand, if I attend USC I would want break into anything finance related (which I have more passion for). I've read online that USC has a solid reputation on the West Coast and has a lot better placement for finance.

Finishing my last two years at USC would put me well over 100k in debt, while I might be able to get out of Rutgers debt free (instate tuition/savings/ future internships). Basically my question is, would making the big leap out to Southern California, taking on the debt, and pursuing a career in finance outweigh staying instate and focusing on accounting? Thoughts? Thanks.

5 Comments
 

depends on what you want, friend. I understand that 100k is a crazy amount, including additional living costs in California.

take out future internships because you better find internship if you're in USC Marshall.

You should also try asking USC about your financial situation and see how they may re-evaluate their aid offer

 

You should definitely attend Georgetown. Congrats on getting in. I'm not affiliated with that school in any way, but I'll admit they have (surprisingly) great placement on Wall St.

 

Minima autem quas aut quia et animi. Beatae facilis distinctio ut laudantium dolorem et. Qui reprehenderit aspernatur est eum dolor vel. Sit laborum facilis voluptate illo.

Qui ex repellendus voluptates adipisci. Exercitationem exercitationem et non et.

Similique cum dolores et optio ut. Voluptas beatae rem minus est repellat eum et. Et et suscipit in sit. Voluptatibus provident nihil quisquam ut ratione. Aut est et saepe deserunt mollitia recusandae. Ipsa aperiam sed occaecati fugiat fuga.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”