Paid Research Studies at USC
Get paid $50–$300+ for online research studies, surveys, and remote focus groups open to CA residents at USC, plus in-person studies at USC when available. USC recruits from two Los Angeles campuses — University Park near downtown and the Health Sciences campus east of it — and sits inside the entertainment industry's consumer-research market.
Online studies open to CA residents
266 online studies are open to anyone in CA right now — take part from home, on your schedule, plus 4 in-person studies at USC.
Focus Group in Los Angeles on Shopping Experience - $300
Are you a fan of retail shopping? Participants are invited to a 60-minute in-person focus group about the retail shopping experience. Qualified participants will receive $300 if completed by August 25, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and take the survey to see if you qualify! Spots are limited and tend to fill fast. Applying doesn't guarantee a slot, and qualification criteria may change at any time without notice.
Focus Group in Los Angeles on Romance Stories - $150
What draws you to romance stories? Participants are invited to a 150-minute in-person focus group about romance novels and dramas. Qualified participants will receive $150 if completed by September 10, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and take the survey to see if you qualify! Spots are limited and tend to fill fast. Applying doesn't guarantee a slot, and qualification criteria may change at any time without notice.
Focus Group in Los Angeles on Interactive Romance - $150
Are you a fan of Interactive Romance and AI companions? Participants are invited to a 150-minute in-person focus group about experiences with Interactive Romance and AI Companion apps. Qualified participants will receive $150 if completed by September 10, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and take the survey to see if you qualify! Spots are limited and tend to fill fast. Applying doesn't guarantee a slot, and qualification criteria may change at any time without notice.
Focus Group in Los Angeles on Love and Deepspace - $150
Are you a fan of Love and Deepspace? Participants are invited to a 120-minute in-person focus group about your experiences and thoughts on the game. Qualified participants will receive $150 if completed by September 11, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and take the survey to see if you qualify! Spots are limited and tend to fill fast. Applying doesn't guarantee a slot, and qualification criteria may change at any time without notice.
Research Study on Legal Practices - $85
How do legal professionals manage contracts and documents? Participants are invited to a 60-minute online 1-on-1 about their tools and experiences. Qualified participants will receive $85 if completed by September 9, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and take the survey to see if you qualify! Spots are limited and tend to fill fast. Applying doesn't guarantee a slot, and qualification criteria may change at any time without notice.
Research Study on Homepage Design - $30
Are you a senior software engineer interested in design? Participants are invited to a 14-minute online unmoderated task about giving impressions on a homepage design. Qualified participants will receive $30 if completed by October 4, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and take the survey to see if you qualify! Spots are limited and tend to fill fast. Applying doesn't guarantee a slot, and qualification criteria may change at any time without notice.
Research Study on Portfolio Management - $85
How do investors like you maintain their connection with companies? Participants are invited to a 60-minute online research study about managing investment portfolios. Qualified participants will receive $85 if completed by September 2, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and take the survey to see if you qualify! Spots are limited and tend to fill fast. Applying doesn't guarantee a slot, and qualification criteria may change at any time without notice.
Research Study on Value Based Care Tools - $60
How do you envision a value based care dashboard to enhance your work? Participants are invited to a 60-minute online 1-on-1 interview about utilizing dashboards in resident care settings. Qualified participants will receive $60 if completed by August 26, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and take the survey to see if you qualify! Spots are limited and tend to fill fast. Applying doesn't guarantee a slot, and qualification criteria may change at any time without notice.
Research Study on Leadership Strategy - $50
How do fintech executives tackle organizational challenges? Participants are invited to a 60-minute online research study about leadership strategy in the fintech industry. Qualified participants will receive $50 if completed by September 4, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and take the survey to see if you qualify! Spots are limited and tend to fill fast. Applying doesn't guarantee a slot, and qualification criteria may change at any time without notice.
How to get paid for research studies at USC
Most paid research open to USC is now online — remote focus groups over video, online interviews, paid surveys, product tests, and diary studies you can do from home, open to anyone in CA. USC recruits from two Los Angeles campuses — University Park near downtown and the Health Sciences campus east of it — and sits inside the entertainment industry's consumer-research market. StudySnag aggregates these into one feed so you don't have to hunt across panels, Craigslist, and university boards.
Most studies pay $50–$300, and paid clinical trials can pay significantly more. Because the studies are remote, you can take part whether you're near University Park or Exposition Park or anywhere else in CA — and in-person focus groups and trials at USC are listed here whenever recruiters are running them.
Not tied to USC specifically? Browse paid studies near you, or go straight to paid psychology studies and other ways to get paid for your opinion.
USC's position near downtown puts it in a different part of the LA research market than UCLA's Westside: more studio and media audience testing, and Keck's clinical recruiting on the eastern campus.
Getting started is free: create an account, tell us a little about yourself, and browse the studies you qualify for at USC. Registering takes one tap, and you're paid directly by the research panel on completion.
Who runs paid research at USC
- The Keck School of Medicine
- USC's medical campus, several miles east of the main one near downtown, running clinical trials that recruit from surrounding East Los Angeles neighbourhoods as much as from students.
- The Marshall behavioural lab
- Short business-school experiments on decision-making, paying cash and easy to qualify for.
- Studio and media audience research
- USC sits close to downtown and the entertainment industry, and students are recruited for screening and audience testing that has nothing to do with the university.
What paid studies at USC actually pay
USC's position matters more than its programmes. It is in a different part of the Los Angeles research market from UCLA — closer to downtown and the studios, further from the Westside consumer facilities — so the entertainment and media research reaching USC students is a genuinely separate stream from what a UCLA student sees. Campus behavioural experiments pay small cash amounts; Keck's clinical studies pay on the medical scale; audience testing sits in between and is the most specific to being here.
Getting to in-person studies at USC
The Metro E Line runs past the main campus, which makes downtown and the Westside reachable without driving — worth knowing in a city where that is rarely true. The Keck campus is a separate trip to the east, and the university runs shuttles between the two.
When recruiting picks up at USC
Campus recruiting follows the semester. Audience and media testing tracks the production calendar rather than the academic one, so it continues through the summer when departmental studies stop.
Paid research studies at USC — FAQ
How is USC different from UCLA for paid studies?+
Location, mostly. USC sits near downtown and the entertainment industry, so its students see more studio and media audience research. UCLA is on the Westside, closer to the consumer research facilities and its own large neuroscience institute. The academic programmes are comparable; the surrounding markets are not.
How is this different from the Los Angeles page?+
This page covers research recruiting through USC — the Marshall lab, departmental studies, and Keck. The Los Angeles page covers the whole regional market, including automotive clinics, Westside consumer facilities, and film testing, which recruit LA residents generally.
How much do paid research studies at USC pay?+
Most paid studies for USC participants pay between $50 and $300, while clinical trials can pay much more. You'll always see the exact payout before you register.
Are there online paid studies for USC students?+
Yes. Many studies are fully online and open to anyone in CA, so you can take part from University Park or anywhere nearby. In-person focus groups and clinical trials are also listed when available.
Do I need to be a student to join?+
No — anyone US-based can join. USC students are especially in demand, but it's open to everyone.
How do I get started?+
Create a free StudySnag account, tell us a bit about yourself, and browse the studies you qualify for at USC. Registering for a study takes one tap.
Paid research studies in other cities
Paid research studies for students
How much do paid research studies at USC pay?
Paid research studies open to CA residents and USC students typically pay $50–$300+, and clinical trials pay more; the top study on StudySnag right now pays $300. Right now 266 online studies are open to anyone in CA, plus 4 in-person studies at USC. You always see the exact payout before you register, and it's free to join.
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