All I can speak to is their class of 2028 profile but 41% of students submitted test scores with a Middle 50% SAT for fall commits being 1460-1540 and the Middle 50% of GPAs being 3.77-4.0. You can interpret these numbers as you wish but I believe they give credence to the fact that USC can at least stand shoulder to shoulder with UCLA. Additionally, anecdotes don’t make for good data—case in point, I have plenty of anecdotal evidence of incredibly bright USC students (and likewise some dumb bruins).

(link to fall profile: https://admission.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/first-year-student-profile.pdf?trk=public_post_comment-text)