University of Southern California president salary and executive pay
USC paid its president, CAROL L FOLT, $4,301,294 for the fiscal year ending June 2025. That is down $679,981 (13.7%) from the fiscal year ending June 2024. USC ranks 10th of 100 universities on this site by president's pay. USC has 4 Form 990 returns on record, for fiscal years ending 2022 to 2025. Also known as USC.
Last updated from IRS e-file data. EIN 95-1642394, Los Angeles, CA.
President, fiscal year ending June 2025
$4,301,294
Highest-paid person, fiscal year ending June 2025
$11,802,958LINCOLN RILEYHEAD FOOTBALL COACH
- Total revenue
- $5,927,980,342
- Pay vs. peers
- Higher than 26%
Source: Form 990, fiscal year ending June 2025, IRS object ID 202641359349304574.View the filing
Peers: the 94 other universities on this site. Ranked 70th of 95 by top pay as a share of revenue. Pay is 0.07% of revenue, our calculation from the same return. Revenue is Part I, line 12; peers are compared on their latest full-year returns.
Highest-paid people on the latest return
On the latest return, 28 people were paid more than $500,000, 18 of them more than $1 million.
| Name and title | Total |
|---|---|
| LINCOLN RILEYHEAD FOOTBALL COACH | $11,802,958 |
| ERIC MUSSELMANSEE SCHEDULE O FOR TITLE | $6,104,853 |
| CAROL L FOLT President PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE | $4,301,294 |
| LOUIS VANDERMOLEN MDPROFESSOR OF CLINICAL MEDICINE | $4,050,566 |
| VAUGHN STARNES MDCHAIR & DIST PROG SURGERY | $3,959,981 |
President's pay by year
Each row is the president on that year's return.
| Fiscal year ending | Name and title | Total | Revenue | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2025 | CAROL L FOLT President PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE | $4,301,294 | $5,927,980,342 | Filing |
| Jun 2024 | CAROL L FOLT President PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE | $4,981,275 | $5,575,301,015 | Filing |
| Jun 2023 | CAROL L FOLT President PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE | $4,628,109 | $5,119,320,238 | Filing |
| Jun 2022 Amended | Carol L Folt President President/Trustee | $3,895,165 | $5,566,926,612 | Filing |
How this pay was reported
The parts of each total, as reported on the return for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Source: Form 990, fiscal year ending June 2025, IRS object ID 202641359349304574.View the filing
| Part VII | Schedule J | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and title | From org | Other | Base | Bonus | Other | Deferred | Nontaxable | Total |
| LINCOLN RILEYHEAD FOOTBALL COACH | $11,590,497 | $212,461 | $10,355,294 | $100,000 | $1,135,203 | $34,500 | $177,961 | $11,802,958 |
| ERIC MUSSELMANSEE SCHEDULE O FOR TITLE | $5,809,939 | $294,914 | $3,300,862 | $0 | $2,509,077 | $262,798 | $32,116 | $6,104,853 |
| CAROL L FOLTPRESIDENT/TRUSTEE | $4,077,317 | $223,977 | $2,030,318 | $850,000 | $1,196,999 | $164,750 | $59,227 | $4,301,294 |
| LOUIS VANDERMOLEN MDPROFESSOR OF CLINICAL MEDICINE | $3,880,456 | $170,110 | $3,402,956 | $0 | $477,500 | $79,500 | $90,610 | $4,050,566 |
| VAUGHN STARNES MDCHAIR & DIST PROG SURGERY | $3,829,971 | $130,010 | $3,434,141 | $50,000 | $345,830 | $34,500 | $95,510 | $3,959,981 |
These figures come from USC's Form 990 returns, as the IRS publishes them. The methodology page explains how they're chosen. To report an error, email corrections@ceopaycheck.com.
How USC compares
Ranked 10th of 100 universities by president's pay.
Closest in revenue among the universities on this site:
Washington University in St. Louis$2,382,064 (Chancellor), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
University of Chicago$2,082,741 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
University of Rochester$1,803,590 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
MIT$2,151,788 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
University of Miami$6,737,344 (CEO), fiscal year ending May 2025
Common questions
CAROL L FOLT (PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE) was paid $4,301,294 for the fiscal year ending June 2025: $4,077,317 from USC and $223,977 in other compensation (Part VII columns D and F). USC ranks 10th of 100 universities on this site by president's pay.
The highest-paid person on the latest return was LINCOLN RILEY (HEAD FOOTBALL COACH), at $11,802,958. That is $7,501,664 more than the president, CAROL L FOLT. Next was ERIC MUSSELMAN (SEE SCHEDULE O FOR TITLE), at $6,104,853. On the latest return, 28 people were paid more than $500,000, 18 of them more than $1 million.
USC paid its president, CAROL L FOLT, $4,301,294 for the fiscal year ending June 2025. That is down $679,981 (13.7%) from the fiscal year ending June 2024. The earliest return on record is for the fiscal year ending June 2022, when the president was Carol L Folt, paid $3,895,165. By fiscal year end: June 2022, $3,895,165 (Carol L Folt); June 2023, $4,628,109; June 2024, $4,981,275; June 2025, $4,301,294.
From the 4 Form 990 returns University of Southern California filed with the IRS for fiscal years ending 2022 to 2025. Schedule J of the fiscal year ending June 2025 return breaks down pay for all 5 people in the pay breakdown above. The methodology page explains how they're chosen.