The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, founded in 1884 and named in honor of philanthropist Flora L. Thornton following a $25 million gift in 1999 (the largest donation to a school of music in the United States at the time). Thornton enrolls approximately 1,012 students with a faculty of 171, yielding a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in more than 20 disciplines across three divisions: Classical Performance and Composition, Contemporary Music, and Research and Scholarly Studies. Billboard named USC Thornton to its list of Top Music Business Schools for seven consecutive years, including 2025.
The following video from the official USC Thornton website introduces the school's three divisions with the help of Dean Robert Cutietta, students, faculty, and composer John Williams:
Programs and Degrees
USC Thornton operates through three divisions with cross-genre opportunities:
Classical Performance and Composition:
- Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts in all orchestral instruments, piano, voice, guitar, and composition
- Faculty includes classical guitarist Pepe Romero, composer Frank Ticheli (whose "Blue Shades" is a wind ensemble staple), pianist Jeffrey Kahane (20-year director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra), and clarinetist Yehuda Gilad
- Distinguished Professor Morten Lauridsen received the National Medal of Arts in 2007
Contemporary Music:
- Popular Music: One of the most selective programs, with acceptance rates as low as 3 percent for songwriters in some years
- Music Production: Highly competitive, similar acceptance rates to popular music
- Jazz Studies: Undergraduate and graduate programs with faculty including saxophonist Bob Mintzer
- Studio Guitar Performance: One of the few comprehensive programs of its kind
- Screen Scoring: The only comprehensive program in scoring for television and film at the conservatory level
Research and Scholarly Studies:
- Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Music Industry (Thornton was one of the first schools to offer an undergraduate music industry program)
- Master's degrees in Arts Leadership, Community Music, and Music Teaching and Learning
- Musicology and Music Theory at the graduate level
Performance venues include Bing Theatre, Bovard Auditorium, Schoenfeld Symphonic Hall, Newman Hall, and the Songwriter's Theater.
Admissions and Tuition
The overall acceptance rate at USC Thornton is approximately 10 percent. Some programs are even more selective: popular music accepts 5 percent or fewer, and the music production program has similar numbers.
Application deadline for undergraduate admission is December 1. All undergraduate applicants who submit a complete application by this date are automatically considered for USC Merit Scholarships.
Tuition for the 2025-2026 academic year:
- Undergraduate tuition: $73,260 per year (same for in-state and out-of-state)
- Fees: $1,902
- Total estimated cost of attendance (on campus): $99,139
- Total estimated cost of attendance (living with parents): $86,581
For the 2026-2027 academic year, tuition increases to $75,384, with a total estimated cost of attendance of $103,162 (on campus).
USC's affordability initiative guarantees that eligible first-year undergraduates from families with an annual income of $80,000 or less with typical assets will attend USC tuition-free. Approximately 67 percent of the annual cost goes toward tuition.
Graduate students in most Thornton programs are eligible for scholarships, graduate assistantships, and fellowships. Students in Arts Leadership and Music Industry programs are not eligible for Thornton scholarship awards.
Real-World Example
A film scoring student accepted into the master's program for fall 2026 pays $75,384 in tuition (2026-27 rate) plus $1,952 in fees. With housing at $13,510, food at $8,442, and additional expenses (books, transportation, personal) at approximately $3,874, the total cost of attendance comes to $103,162 for one year. Over a two-year master's program, the student pays approximately $206,000. The student studies in the only comprehensive screen scoring program at a major music school, has access to USC's state-of-the-art recording facilities, and joins alumni who have scored films including Star Trek (Jerry Goldsmith), Oppenheimer and The Mandalorian (Ludwig Goransson), and Frozen (Christophe Beck). If the student receives a Thornton scholarship covering 30 percent of tuition ($22,615), net tuition drops to $52,769 per year, bringing the two-year total to approximately $160,000.
Notable alumni include composer Ludwig Goransson (Oppenheimer, The Mandalorian), film composer Jerry Goldsmith (Star Trek, Alien), trumpeter and A&M Records co-founder Herb Alpert, singer-songwriter Remi Wolf, electronic producer Daedelus, and jazz pianist Gerald Clayton.
Notable Alumni
USC Thornton graduates have shaped film scoring, popular music, jazz, and the music industry:
- Ludwig Goransson: Composer and producer who won Academy Awards for Best Original Score for both Black Panther (2018) and Oppenheimer (2023). He also scored The Mandalorian and Tenet. Goransson studied screen scoring at USC Thornton. Here he breaks down the track "Can You Hear the Music?" from the Oppenheimer soundtrack in Variety's "Behind the Song" series:
- Herb Alpert: Trumpeter, composer, and co-founder of A&M Records (with Jerry Moss). Alpert has sold over 72 million records worldwide and won nine Grammy Awards. He attended USC in the 1950s. Here is the official music video for "Puttin' on the Ritz" from his HerbAlpertVEVO YouTube channel, with over 7.9 million views:
- Remi Wolf: Singer-songwriter who studied at USC Thornton's popular music program. Her debut album Juno was released in 2021 on Island Records, and her second album Big Ideas followed in 2024. Here is the official video for "Photo ID" (with Dominic Fike) from her RemiWolfVEVO YouTube channel, with over 5.7 million views:
- Jerry Goldsmith: Film composer (1929 to 2004) known for Star Trek, Alien, Chinatown, and The Omen. He was nominated for 18 Academy Awards and won one for The Omen (1976).
- Gerald Clayton: Jazz pianist and composer, three-time Grammy nominee. Studied in the jazz studies program at USC Thornton.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
USC Thornton is the right choice if you want to build a career in the Los Angeles music, film, or television industries. The school's location in LA gives you direct access to major record labels, film studios, music supervision companies, and tech firms. The screen scoring program is the only comprehensive one of its kind, and the music industry program was one of the first at the undergraduate level.
The cost is high. At $73,260 to $75,384 per year in tuition alone, Thornton is among the most expensive music schools in the country. However, the affordability initiative means that if your family income is $80,000 or less with typical assets, you can attend tuition-free. Always check your eligibility before assuming you cannot afford USC.
The popular music program is worth applying to if you are a songwriter or performer, but understand that acceptance rates can be as low as 3 percent. Craft fully realized songs with distinct sections and memorable hooks for your audition. For music production applicants, include productions featuring real instruments in commercial genres, not just electronic music.
The faculty is a major draw. Your teachers are not just academics but active industry professionals, including a producer who has worked with Queen, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Pearl Jam (Brian Malouf), and a former concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic (Glenn Dicterow). These connections can open doors that are difficult to access from outside LA.
Visit the official USC Thornton website for full audition requirements and program details.
Related Resources
- Music Schools Directory - Compare USC Thornton with other music schools
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- Complete Guide to Making Money as a Musician in 2026 - Career planning for music school graduates
- Berklee College of Music - Compare with another top contemporary music school
- Colburn School - Another Los Angeles conservatory
- Musicians Institute (MI) - Another LA-based music school focused on contemporary genres
- UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music - Compare with other LA-area programs
