The University of Southern California (known as USC or SC^[a]) is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university founded in 1880 with its main campus in Los Angeles, California. As California's oldest private research university,^[7] USC has historically educated a large number of the region's business leaders and professionals. In recent decades, the university has also leveraged its location in Los Angeles to establish relationships with research and cultural institutions throughout Asia and the Pacific Rim. Reflecting the status of Los Angeles as a global city, USC has the largest number of international students of any university in the United States.^[8] In 2011, USC was named among the Top 10 Dream Colleges in the nation.^[9]