Admit rate has ranged 9%–14% over the last 5 years. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
UCLA is a powerhouse public university where sunshine meets serious academics. With an acceptance rate under 9%, it attracts top-tier students to its 140+ majors, particularly in social sciences and STEM fields. The campus buzzes with energy—think renowned dining halls, Division I sports, and easy access to LA's cultural scene—while maintaining a 93% graduation rate that outshines most peers.
Admission requirements
Test-blind — scores not considered
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
College-prep program
TOEFL (non-native English)
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
33,475
In-state tuition
$15,203
Out-of-state tuition
$49,403
Location
Westwood, Los Angeles
Top Majors
Economics, Political Science, Psych
Acceptance Rate
8.57%
6-Year Grad Rate
93%
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$82,511
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
6.6×
Median debt at graduation
$14,000
Graduation rate
93%
First-year retention
97%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
79%
Pell (lower-income) share
70%
First-generation share
38%
Endowment / student
$105,438
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Computer and Information Sciences, General$110,878
Computer Engineering$97,071
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$90,678
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$83,915
Civil Engineering$68,592
Business/Managerial Economics
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
71
Per 1,000 students
2.12
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
250
Summer high
80°F
Winter low
46°F
Annual rain
19"
Natural-hazard risk
Very High
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
1,633
Scholarly works
414,270
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Future-scholar output
Science & engineering PhDstop 7 nationally
Humanities & social-science PhDstop 5 nationally
Share of this school’s graduates who go on to earn research doctorates (2010–20), by national rank and per-capita yield (NSF institutional-yield ratio). A signal of a research-oriented student culture — not a causal promise, since it partly reflects who enrolls. Only top producers appear. Source: NSF NCSES, Baccalaureate Origins of U.S. Research Doctorate Recipients.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at University of California-Los Angeles?
University of California-Los Angeles's acceptance rate is approximately 9% (Los Angeles, CA), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
How much does University of California-Los Angeles cost?
At University of California-Los Angeles, the average net price (after aid) is about $12,548 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend University of California-Los Angeles?
University of California-Los Angeles enrolls approximately 33,475 undergraduate students.
Where is University of California-Los Angeles located?
University of California-Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, CA.
Admissions
Getting into UCLA is fiercely competitive, with only 8.57% of applicants admitted from a pool of nearly 150,000. The middle 50% of admitted freshmen boast SAT scores between 1290–1510 and ACT composites of 27–34, with particularly strong showings in math (SAT: 690-790). Over 90% of admits rank in the top 10% of their high school class. Transfer students face slightly better odds, but the bar remains high for this public Ivy.
UCLA’s academic portfolio spans 140+ majors, with particular strengths in political science, economics, psychology, and biological sciences—all frequently cited as student favorites. The curriculum balances rigor with real-world engagement, encouraging undergrads to complement coursework with research (40% participate) or internships. Small seminars exist, but intro lectures can pack 300+ students. Standout programs include:
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
$68,219
Mechanical Engineering$67,324
Chemical Engineering$63,005
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
5.6%
Bottom → top quintile
55%
From bottom quintile
10%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Film/TV
Neuroscience (with cutting-edge lab access)
American Politics (a top-ranked department)
Reddit threads reveal students appreciate professors who ‘teach like TED Talk speakers’ but warn about ‘sink-or-swim’ introductory STEM classes.
1,200+ clubs, from Quidditch teams to venture capital societies
Bruin Bash, a free concert welcoming 10,000+ students
Students praise the ‘perfect weather’ and proximity to Venice Beach, Getty Museum, and Sunset Strip, though some gripe about ‘commuter-school vibes’ as 97% live off-campus after freshman year. Greek life draws 13% of undergrads, but isn’t dominant.
UCLA masters the public Ivy paradox: world-class academics (7 Nobel laureates on faculty) without pretension. Its location is the ultimate classroom—film students intern at Paramount, public health majors tackle homelessness in Skid Row. The student body is 37% first-gen, creating a scrappy, ambitious culture. Unlike Berkeley’s activism or USC’s glitz, UCLA strikes a balance: serious about rankings (#1 public university per U.S. News) but equally serious about sunrise yoga on Janss Steps.
University of California-Los Angeles logo · sourceYour Guide to Visiting the UCLA Campus | UCLA Luskin Conference Center · sourceLos Angeles and Westwood | UCLA Undergraduate Admission · sourceUniversity of California-Los Angeles - Los Angeles, CA | Appily · source
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