The University of Southern California (USC[a] or SC) is a private research university in Los

Angeles, California. Founded in 1880, it is the oldest private research university in California.[9]
USC has historically educated a large number of the nation's business leaders and
professionals. The university has also used its location in Los Angeles to establish relationships
with research and cultural institutions throughout Asia and the Pacific Rim. An engine for
economic activity, USC contributes US$8 billion annually to the economy of the Los Angeles
metropolitan area and California.[10]

For the 2017–18 academic year, there were 19,170 students enrolled in four-year undergraduate
programs.[5] USC also has 26,517 graduate and professional students in a number of different
programs, including business, law, engineering, social work, and medicine.[5] The university is
one of the top fundraising institutions in the world, consistently ranking among the top three in
external contributions and alumni giving rates.[11][12][13]

USC was one of the earliest nodes on ARPANET and is the birthplace of the Domain Name
System.[14] Other technologies invented at USC include DNA computing, dynamic programming,
image compression, VoIP, and antivirus software.[15][16][17][18][19]