For the first time ever, the University of Southern California’s tuition will exceed $50,000 a year in the 2016-17 academic year.

The $1,978 increase was announced on the website of USC’s Office of Financial Aid on Thursday and a screenshot of it quickly went viral on social media. The total estimated cost of a year of school at USC is now just shy of $70K at $69,711.

The school’s administration has yet to release specific reasons for the tuition increase, and the Daily Trojan’s op-ed team has already written a piece calling out USC for lack of transparency. USC Provost Michael Quick has said that the reality is USC is competing with the major Ivy League schools and other prestigious universities, and that comes at a cost.

Pedro Noguera, distinguished professor of education in the Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences at UCLA, said that schools that have risen quickly, like USC, have smaller endowments than others — and rely heavily on tuition.

Noguera said this tuition-driven model, however, is not sustainable. 

“We’ve seen a number of universities — including the publics — have become increasingly dependent on foreign students who are willing to pay the cost as a way to try to subsidize other students,” Noguera said.

But how beneficial is it to pay such a large sum for an undergraduate education? Noguera said parents and prospective students should take into account that larger universities have very large classes taught by graduate students for freshman students. 

“Are you paying for a brand in the name? Or are you actually paying for the education?” Noguera said. 

B.J. from Mount Washington who went to undergrad, graduate school and worked at USC called in and said that there are intangible benefits to the school’s name — the “USC Mafia.” 

“Maybe it’s because the tuition is so expensive, there’s an intense loyalty, there’s a camaraderie," B.J. said. 

That camaraderie is what helps alumni get jobs after graduation, B.J. said. 

While paying a high ticket price for a big-name college can potentially be a benefit later on, Noguera also said the high prices are reflective of a lack of policy guiding college tuition prices.

“Left to their own devices, universities are just raising tuition because the fact is there are people out there that can pay,” Noguera said. 

And for those who can’t pay, there is aid — but according to Noguera, the amount of aid they get is a small percentage of the overall cost. 

What is your experience with college tuition? Is USC's tuition hike justified? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Guest:

Pedro Noguera, distinguished professor of education in the Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences at UCLA

This story has been updated.