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UCLA: What It's Like and Who Thrives There

By the Lens team · Updated November 1, 2026

Campus of UCLA
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
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UCLA is a public research university in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles with about 33,500 undergraduates. It admitted 9.4% of applicants for fall 2025, from more than 145,000 applications, more than almost any other U.S. university. By residency, it admitted 11.2% of out-of-state applicants and 9.6% of California residents. International applicants are counted separately. UCLA doesn't consider SAT or ACT scores in admission.

In-state vs. out-of-state tuition at UCLA

UCLA charges $15,203 a year in published tuition and fees for California residents, about $7,602 a semester, and $49,403 a year for students from other states, about $24,702 a semester, a difference of $34,200. About 21% of first-year students came from out of state. You may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships. Compare out-of-state tuition at 100 public universities →

What makes UCLA different

  • Test-free admission. Like all University of California campuses, UCLA doesn't use SAT or ACT scores.
  • The quarter system. Three 10-week terms a year mean more, shorter courses.
  • Los Angeles. Westwood sits between Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, with the city's entertainment, health and tech industries nearby.

What UCLA students study

The most common bachelor's degrees (class of 2024): economics (738), political science (687), psychology (687), sociology (621), biology (442), neuroscience (420) and computer science (352). Source: IPEDS Completions, first majors only.

You may thrive at UCLA if…

  • You're drawn to the social sciences, life sciences or the arts in a big-city setting.
  • You like a fast-paced academic calendar.
  • You want a large public university with a strong, diverse student body.

Worth asking about

  • How quickly do classes fill, and how do students plan around the quarter system?
  • For out-of-state families: what does the net price calculator show?

How UCLA compares with the other Big Ten schools

UCLA is the conference's most selective public university and one of its four newest members. See how the 18 Big Ten schools differ.

FAQ

What is UCLA's acceptance rate? 9.4% for fall 2025: 13,659 of 145,086 first-year applicants were admitted, according to its Common Data Set 2025–26. Source For fall 2024 it was 9.0%.

What is UCLA's out-of-state acceptance rate? 11.2% for fall 2025, compared with 9.6% for California residents. UCLA admitted 3,530 of 31,534 out-of-state applicants and 8,575 of 89,324 California residents, according to the University of California's preliminary fall 2025 figures (admission offers as of June 2025). Applicants · Admits International applicants are counted separately. Out-of-state tuition and fees are $49,403 a year before aid; you may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships. Compare out-of-state acceptance rates at public universities →

Is UCLA in the Big Ten? Yes. UCLA joined the Big Ten in 2024.

Does UCLA require the SAT? No. UCLA doesn't consider SAT or ACT scores in admission.

How much does UCLA cost? Published tuition and fees are $15,203 a year in-state and $49,403 out-of-state, before any aid.

How much is UCLA tuition per semester? About $7,602 a semester for California residents and $24,702 for out-of-state students, based on published yearly tuition and fees of $15,203 and $49,403 before aid.

Is UCLA an R1 university? Yes. In the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, UCLA is an R1 university, the group with the highest research spending and doctoral degrees. What R1 means →

How many students go to UCLA? About 33,500 undergraduates (fall 2024).

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