A public R1 research university in Los Angeles, CA, admitting 8.97% of applicants with test-free admissions and a $12,548 average net price.
Los Angeles, California
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public R1 research university in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, founded in 1919. It enrolls 33,475 undergraduates and 13,860 graduate students across five undergraduate schools and four colleges: Letters and Science, Engineering, the School of Arts and Architecture, the School of Theater, Film and Television, and the Herb Alpert School of Music, among others.
Social sciences, biology, health sciences, psychology, and engineering account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. UCLA holds a Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity (R1) Carnegie classification, is accredited through the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), and is a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Like all UC campuses, UCLA is test-free: SAT and ACT scores are not reviewed or considered in admissions.
Official website: ucla.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), UCLA scores 92.90 overall, rated Excellent, and is the highest-scoring of the three largest public flagships in this peer group. Outcomes (97.17) reflects a 92.62% six-year graduation rate. Value scores 96.27, driven by an average net price of $12,548 and competitive graduate earnings. Affordability scores 61.17. All scores use verified federal data only.
UCLA is among the most selective public universities in the country, admitting 8.97% of applicants, and receives more applications each year than any other university in the United States. The University of California system is test-free: SAT and ACT scores are not reviewed, required, or considered in admissions at UCLA or any UC campus. Applications use the UC application format with four personal insight questions answered by the applicant.
The application deadline for UC campuses is November 30. Applicants select a major at the time of application; UCLA's review places weight on academic record, course rigor, and the personal insight questions. UCLA Health sciences programs (pre-nursing, cognitive science, neuroscience) and the School of Theater, Film and Television are among the most competitive programs on campus.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether University of California-Los Angeles is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
For California residents, UCLA charges $15,203 in tuition and fees plus $18,369 in room and board, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $37,000 before aid. For out-of-state and international students, tuition is $49,403, bringing total estimated cost of attendance to approximately $71,000 before aid.
The UC Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan covers tuition and fees for California residents with household incomes under $80,000; room, board, and personal expenses remain the student's responsibility. The average net price across all enrolled students is $12,548. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $5,579. For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $14,142. For families earning above $110,000, it averages $29,682.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $80 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
UCLA completes the large majority of the students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 92.62% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. The four-year rate is 79.07%, reflecting the pace common at large public universities where high-demand programs may delay declared enrollment, and where many students work while enrolled. First-year retention stands at 97.04%.
UCLA graduates earn above the national median for public research universities. Median earnings are $59,063 six years after first enrolling and $82,511 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 87.53% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. The six-year median is lower than at Berkeley and reflects the higher concentration of UCLA graduates in arts, humanities, social sciences, and health-related fields where peak earnings often arrive later than in engineering or finance. UCLA's federal loan rate of 18.77% and median debt of $14,000 are consistent with large public flagship universities.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
UCLA enrolls 33,475 undergraduates on its Westwood campus in Los Angeles. Hispanic students account for 24.24% of undergraduates; Asian 29.54%, white 23.91%, and Black 3.37%. UCLA's HSI designation reflects the Hispanic share of enrollment exceeding 25% in the graduate and professional student population. Twenty-eight percent of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 38.09% are first-generation college students, both figures significantly higher than at selective private universities. The Los Angeles location gives undergraduates direct access to the entertainment, media, technology, and healthcare industries that define the city's economy.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at University of California-Los Angeles. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
University of California-Los Angeles offers an extensive catalog of programs: 199 distinct programs across 24 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
UCLA operates at an 18:1 student-to-faculty ratio, reflecting its large enrollment. 75.12% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $73,875 per year, notably higher than at Berkeley ($23,741) and reflecting UCLA's medical center and health sciences research infrastructure. The endowment stands at $3.53 billion. UCLA Health is one of the leading academic medical systems in the country and provides substantial research and clinical training infrastructure for health sciences students and graduate programs.
4,484 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 1,813 | 40% | $264,066 |
| Associate Professors | 724 | 16% | $163,442 |
| Assistant Professors | 1,251 | 28% | $128,125 |
| Instructors | 393 | 9% | $72,975 |
| Lecturers | 294 | 7% | $103,387 |
| No Rank | 9 | 0% | $94,569 |
UCLA's strongest data points are its UCD score (92.90 Excellent, highest among the three large public flagships), its Selectivity score (98.23, reflecting the 8.97% admit rate), and the combination of an average net price of $12,548 with genuine access: 28.3% Pell grant recipients and 38.1% first-generation students. UCLA's Los Angeles location is a genuine career advantage for students in entertainment, media, health, and technology. The challenges are similar to other large public universities: an 18:1 student-faculty ratio, a four-year graduation rate of 79.07%, and a six-year earnings median of $59,063 that is lower than at Berkeley or Michigan.
Out-of-state students face approximately $71,000 in total costs before aid, which approaches private university pricing without the private university aid structures. Best fit for California residents in the lower and middle income brackets who want a major research university with LA access; students targeting health sciences, film, or media programs; and applicants whose profile is competitive at the overall UCLA admit rate.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about UCLA: how selective admissions are, what test-free means, how financial aid works for California versus out-of-state students, how UCLA differs from Berkeley, and what graduates earn.
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