Flying into LAX
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the default for most families. USC's international office puts it about 15.5 miles from campus, a 20 to 40 minute drive, while USC Viterbi's directions call it 13 miles. Either way, the clock depends on the freeway.
According to that same USC page, taxis and rideshares (Uber, Lyft, Opoli) pick up at the LAX-it lot next to Terminal 1, and the fare to campus runs about $60 to $70. Airport shuttles were estimated at $30 to $50 for one passenger.
Rail and bus from the airport
USC Transportation's Getting to/from LAX page lists the Metro C Line and K Line serving the LAX/Metro Transit Center, plus a free Metro Connector shuttle for riders with proof of transit. Closer to campus, the Metro E Line stops at Expo Park/USC, Jefferson/USC, and Expo/Vermont and runs roughly 4 a.m. to midnight. The LAX FlyAway bus to Union Station costs $9.75 one way. With luggage, most families will find a rideshare simpler. With a backpack, the train works.
Driving in
From LAX, the Viterbi directions take the 105 east to the 110 (Harbor) Freeway north and exit at Exposition Boulevard. USC Transportation's office is in the McCarthy Structure at 620 McCarthy Way, and it answers parking questions at (213) 740-3575.
Visitor parking on a normal day
USC Transportation sells visitor parking through Text2Park on your phone or at Pay By Plate stations. The FY27 rate sheet shows $20 a day at the Downey, Flower, Royal, McCarthy, and Figueroa structures, with a one time $0.50 fee when you pay by Text2Park (Pay By Plate has no fee). The Grand Avenue Structure is cheaper at $14 a day or $2 an hour. At Downey, all day parking from Monday to Thursday is sold only in the afternoon (after 4 p.m. by Text2Park, after noon at Pay By Plate), and all day Friday to Sunday. Never use a space marked Reserved, and know that sales at any location may close when space runs out.
Game day changes the math. For the 2026 season, event parking on campus is $50 per vehicle, cashless, first come first served at Downey, McCarthy, Jefferson, Figueroa, Grand Avenue, and USC Shrine, with a $0.50 transaction fee for mobile payments. Prepaid spaces in off campus and Exposition Park lots are sold through JustPark. Homecoming (October 3, Washington) and Trojan Family Weekend (October 31, Ohio State) are both game days. Buy football tickets through the USC Ticket Office, which sells through usctrojans.evenue.net. Its phone hours from August to May are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
Where parents stay
The USC Hotel at 3540 S. Figueroa St. sits right next to campus, and it is the hotel USC's Career Center describes as within easy walking distance. Most other families stay downtown. The Career Center lists the JW Marriott at LA LIVE and Hotel Indigo at about 2.4 miles, and hotels on Grand Avenue, Figueroa Street, and Los Angeles Street in the downtown core at about 3.2 to 3.4 miles. The commencement guest page points to the Downtown/LA Metro area as the nearest neighborhood and names Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Pasadena as other popular visitor areas with hotels at different price points.
How early to book
USC's commencement guest page tells visitors traveling from outside Los Angeles to reserve accommodations early. Trojan Family Weekend shares its Saturday with the Ohio State game, so treat late October the same way. Commencement week (May 12 to 15, 2027) is worth booking the moment your graduate confirms ceremony plans.