UCLA: the complete school report for parents

What’s new at UCLA for 2026-27

UC renewed its tuition lock for new students. The UC Regents reauthorized the Tuition Stability Plan, which took effect in fall 2026 and runs until it must be reauthorized by summer 2033. Each entering class's tuition, Student Services Fee and nonresident supplemental tuition are set when it starts and are expected to stay flat for up to six years. For students entering in fall 2027, the starting level rises by inflation plus 1 percent plus any amount carried forward from earlier years, capped at 5 percent a year. The UC application for fall 2027 is filed 1 October to 30 November 2026.

Source: Tuition Stability Plan, University of California; UCLA First-Year Applicants: Your Guide to Applying to UCLA

What does UCLA actually weigh in admissions?

UCLA rates 3 of the 18 factors "Very Important": course rigor, GPA, the essay. It does not consider 7 of them at all. Every college reports these weights in section C7 of its Common Data Set; below is UCLA's 2025-2026 answer, read from the grid in its own file.

What GPA do admitted students actually have?

59% of enrolled students had a 4.0 GPA or above. The average was 3.94 on a 4 scale, reported for 99.8% of the entering class. This is the school’s own distribution, not an estimate from its admit rate.

What is the UCLA waitlist really like?

UCLA offered a place on its waiting list to 20,563 applicants and 13,612 accepted one. 1,514 were ultimately admitted. That is 11.1% of those who waited.

Is transferring in easier than applying as a freshman?

UCLA admitted 23.4% of 28,487 transfer applicants, against 9.4% of first-year applicants. For a student who does not get in at eighteen, the transfer route is a genuinely wider door and worth planning for deliberately. The minimum college GPA considered is 2.4.

When do we apply, and does timing change the odds?

UCLA offers neither Early Decision nor Early Action, so there is no early round to strategize about and every applicant is read in one pool.

What does my child need to take in high school?

UCLA requires 15 academic units and recommends 18. A college-preparatory program is required. A GED is accepted.

What will UCLA actually cost us?

Families pay an average of $12,548 a year at UCLA after grants and scholarships. The published price is not what most families pay.

What families at each income level actually paid:

, which the federal data puts at about $148 a month in repayment UCLA’s net price calculator gives your own figure.

Does a degree from UCLA pay off?

Graduates earn a median $82,511 ten years after entering, and $59,063 at six years. 85% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years. 79% are actively paying down their loans three years in.

Four-year net cost against that earnings premium:

A scale, not a forecast: it assumes aid and earnings hold steady.

$191,628 to $28,993, depending on the major. Median earnings five years out at UCLA:

College Scorecard, by field of study; highest and lowest shown.

Will my child actually graduate?

97% of first-years return for a second year. 86% graduate within four years and 93% within six (2019 cohort). The rate holds up across income: 89.8% of Pell-grant recipients graduate within six years against 94.3% of everyone else, a gap of 4.5 points.

How big are the classes?

46% of class sections have fewer than 20 students, while 13% have 100 or more. The student-faculty ratio is 20:1, and 75% of faculty are full-time. Both are true at once: 13% of sections seat 100 or more, and those are the introductory lectures. Accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.

What is life at UCLA like?

33,534 undergraduates, 15% of first-years from out of state. 98.9% of freshmen live in university housing, falling to 41.8% across all undergraduates. 38% of students are the first in their family to attend college, and the median family income is $72,896.

UCLA guarantees up to four consecutive years of university-owned housing to incoming first-years and two years to incoming transfer students, the first such commitment among the nine UC undergraduate campuses. Newly admitted first-years must submit the housing application by 1 May to be eligible for the guarantee.

Source: Housing for Freshman Students, UCLA Housing; UCLA becomes first UC to guarantee all undergraduates campus housing, UCLA Newsroom

How is UCLA ranked, and how strong is the alumni network?

UCLA is ranked #1 (tied) for public universities in the U.S. News Best Colleges 2027. Its full set of published positions, including the ones that are less flattering:

Shown in full, including the less flattering ones.

Source: National and Global University Rankings, UCLA; University of California: UC is the best public university in the 2026 U.S. News rankings; University of California, Los Angeles, Times Higher Education World University Rankings

What this means for your student

• Course rigor is rated Very Important here, so the senior-year schedule should hold its AP, IB or honors depth rather than lighten. UCLA recommends 18 academic units.
• 59% of enrolled students are at a 4.0 GPA or above, averaging 3.94. Below that line the rest of the application has to carry real weight.
• Do not spend money on test preparation for UCLA: scores are not read even if you send them.
• Skip demonstrated-interest tactics here. Visits and emails are not tracked, so save that effort for schools where they count.
• The waitlist is live but thin: 1,514 of 13,612 who waited were admitted, about 11%.
• If the first-year answer is no, the transfer route is genuinely wider here and worth planning for from the first semester of college.
• Its highest-earning major returns $191,628 five years out against $28,993 at the other end, a gap wider than the one between most schools.
• See where your student actually stands: calculate their GPA and compare it against the distribution above.

Common questions about UCLA

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