What a friend would tell you
What UCLA is looking for
UCLA uses the UC application (four Personal Insight Questions), and the key is specificity about your community impact and personal context. Competitive majors (engineering, nursing, film) have separate admit rates, so research your major's selectivity. UCLA values demonstrated leadership in your community, not your school's most prestigious club. For out-of-state applicants, acceptance rates are lower and you need a stronger academic profile to compensate.
What students wish they'd known
UCLA admits by major, and switching into competitive programs (CS, engineering, nursing) after enrollment is extremely difficult. Classes are large, especially in the first two years (300+ in intro lectures). Housing is not guaranteed after freshman year, and Westwood rents are steep. LA's car culture means getting off campus without a vehicle is frustrating. The UC bureaucracy is slow and impersonal.
UCLA might be a fit if...
- You want a world-class public research university with LA's entertainment, tech, and healthcare industries at your doorstep
- You are applying to a specific major and have researched its admit rate and curriculum
- You thrive in a large, spirited campus with D1 athletics and school pride
UCLA Admissions Strategy
Application Info
Plans: RD only
Deadlines: RD December 1
Deadlines: RD December 1
Test Policy
Test-free (scores not considered)
Scores are not considered at all; submitting them does nothing. Grades, course rigor, and essays carry the full weight here.
Demonstrated Interest
Not Tracked
Not tracked. Skip the info-session circuit and put those hours into the application itself.
Interview
Not offered
Yield Rate
50%
50% of admits enroll, which is typical for a selective school. Waitlists here move every year.
Want to boost your odds at UCLA and every reach on your list, so admissions stops feeling like a coin flip?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at UCLA
$48,270
Sticker Price
$19,680
In-State Tuition
Need-blind admissions. 81% receive financial aid.
What you get for it: UCLA spends about $22,000 per student per year on instruction and student resources, well above the $15K national average.
What UCLA Graduates Get
$72,000
Avg Starting Salary
96%
Employed or in Grad School
85%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (94%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
UCLA Campus & Culture
The Campus
UCLA's 419-acre campus sits in Westwood, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, built around the original four Romanesque Revival buildings in red brick and terracotta (Royce Hall, with its twin towers, is the icon). The campus is hilly, with Janss Steps cutting up from the lower to upper campus. Pauley Pavilion (basketball) and the Rose Bowl (football, off-campus in Pasadena) are athletics landmarks. Sunset Boulevard borders the north edge; the Getty Center is visible on the hillside to the northwest.
The Social Scene
LA access, Bruin sports obsession, Greek life, beach culture, entertainment industry proximity
UCLA Traditions & Trivia
Undie Run
at midnight on the Wednesday of finals week, thousands run through campus in their underwear to blow off steam.
Spring Sing
UCLA's oldest student tradition, running since the 1940s, puts student acts on one stage before a celebrity judge panel.
The Victory Bell
after every UCLA-USC football game, the winner paints the trophy bell its colors; blue means it was a good year.
Academics at UCLA
What UCLA is known for
UCLA brand, entertainment industry connections, sports (Bruins), California prestige
Most popular majors at UCLA
Standout programs
Engineering, Business, Film/TV, Biology, Chemistry
How the curriculum works
General education requirements; College-specific curricula
Recommended high school courses
4 years English, 3+ years Math, 2+ years Science, 2+ years Social Studies, 2+ years foreign language
Notable UCLA Alumni
Jackie Robinson
Lettered in four sports at UCLA before breaking baseball's color barrier
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
NBA all-time scoring leader, UCLA basketball legend, class of 1969
Francis Ford Coppola
Director of The Godfather, UCLA Film School MFA
Ben Stiller
Attended UCLA before pursuing comedy
Carol Burnett
Pioneer of television comedy, UCLA class of 1954
Ralph Bunche
First African American Nobel Peace Prize winner, UCLA class of 1927
If you like UCLA, also consider
UC Berkeley
UC peer with more academic prestige and Bay Area access, less sunshine
USC
Private crosstown rival with smaller classes, stronger alumni network, and entertainment industry pipeline
University of Michigan
Public research peer with a classic college town and Big Ten spirit
University of Washington
West Coast public research university with similar scale, Seattle setting
UC San Diego
Same UC system with smaller feel, strong STEM, and La Jolla beach access