University of California-Los Angeles Acceptance Rate, Admissions & Graduation

What kind of university UCLA is

Let's start by understanding what this institution is before talking about admissions numbers or money.

UCLA is a public four-year university. The Carnegie system, which sorts the country's universities according to what they do, places it among doctoral universities with the highest research activity there is. The federal government also records the doctorate as the highest level it reports offering, within a broad classification of institutions that award bachelor's degrees or higher levels. That institutional fact does not tell you whether the specific program your child is interested in goes that far—that has to be verified program by program.

It is in Los Angeles, California, within Los Angeles County, in a large metropolitan area. The census code places it in a principal city of 250,000 residents or more. If your child were considering living at home rather than on campus, I recommend something simple: drive the route yourself on a weekday, at the time they would have class. The real travel time is almost never what the map shows.

Carnegie also classifies it as "highly residential": at least half of degree-seeking undergraduate students live in university-owned or affiliated housing, and eight out of ten study full time. Living on campus is not the same as paying tuition—the room and meals are charged separately, and we will get to that.

One additional fact: in the official 2023 file, UCLA is marked as a Land Grant Institution, a historical designation it shares with only 80 of the 3,012 institutions in this database. Do not read that as a quality verdict. That label does not measure how much real support your child will receive there. You see that in things with names: which student center exists, which scholarship applies, who answers the phone in April.

The size of the community your child would join

UCLA is enormous. In the official fall count, it reported 46,678 enrolled students—a figure that puts it in the highest band the government uses to measure institutional size, and among the largest schools in its comparable group: at most one in ten similar selective public universities has more students than it does.

But that large number includes graduate students. Of the total, 33,040 are undergraduate students and 13,638 are graduate students. If your child is entering a bachelor's degree program, the number that matters to them is 33,040, not the total.

Within that undergraduate population, 23 out of every 100 students reported themselves as Hispanic or Latino in the fall of 2023. It is not a majority, but it is not an unusual case either: compared with 519 similar selective public universities, UCLA falls in the top quarter on this figure. Keep one thing in mind: that comparison groups schools by type, not by state, and it does not account for the fact that California generally has a large Hispanic population. It is a real fact, but do not stretch it beyond what it shows.

There are also more women than men—61 out of every 100—and almost no adult students: only 3 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old. And 79 out of every 100 new-entry students came from California before applying. If your family does not live in the state, your child would enter an environment where most students are local.

How the academic year works and how broad the offerings are

UCLA uses the quarter system: the year is divided into three periods of about 12 weeks each, with the possibility of a fourth period in the summer. This matters because it changes the pace compared with semester-based universities, and if your child were to transfer from a semester-based school, you would need to verify in writing how credits translate between the two calendars.

For AP credit, UCLA does accept AP exams, but it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. Saying that it accepts AP does not mean it gives credit for every exam: this data does not tell us how many points it requires or whether those credits count toward your child's specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget the savings until you have it in hand.

As for what can be studied: UCLA awarded 9,303 bachelor's degrees in a single year, spread across 22 program families. The largest family was social sciences, with 24 out of every 100 degrees—it does not dominate the total, but it is not closely challenged either. This places it in the top quarter of similar schools in volume of degrees awarded. It is a broad offering: 22 program families are not 22 exact majors, nor do they guarantee that the one your child wants has space or strength on that campus. That must be asked program by program.

Regarding class size: the official ratio is 18 students per full-time-equivalent faculty member. Compared with similar schools, that puts it in the top quarter—that is, relatively more students per faculty member than most of its selective peers. This number is an institutional ratio, not the actual size of a first-year class; that specific information is not available here.

UCLA also reports structured opportunities for study abroad and co-curricular undergraduate research—two paths that formally exist, although this report does not say how students access them or how competitive they are.

Getting in: what they require and what does not matter as much

Here is one of the central facts for your family. UCLA does not have open admission. Of the nine considerations the government tracks, it marks five as required: the high school record, high school grade-point average, completion of the course plan the university requires, the personal essay, and the English-proficiency test for those to whom it applies.

And it explicitly states as not considered, even if they send them: class rank, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or skills examination, work experience, and whether a family member attended there. Put plainly: at this university, gathering paperwork is not enough. The essay is required, so your child has to write—and write well. My recommendation, with this on the table: have them start that essay in the summer, not the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one submitted. The published application fee is $80.

Now for the figure you probably already sensed: in the 2023 cycle, UCLA received 145,903 first-time applications and offered admission to 12,736. That is 9 out of every 100. Compared with 519 similar selective public universities, it is among those that accept the fewest—nine out of ten in that group accepted a higher percentage of applicants.

I want to be clear about something you will forget in the anxious moment: this number says how many offers were made compared with how many people requested them. It says nothing about your child's worth. A low percentage does not make a school better; a high one does not make it worse. What I will tell you, with a hand on your shoulder, is that your child's list should include schools on both sides—some as selective as this one, and others that accept most applicants.

Among those who do receive an offer, something interesting happens: 52 out of every 100 admitted students ultimately enroll here—a high percentage compared with similar schools, where in fewer than one out of ten that number is as high. But this does not measure quality or satisfaction; it only counts how many admitted students decided to attend. When admission letters from several schools arrive, this fact is not what decides for your family. Put the letters next to one another and compare net price, major, and distance before deposit day.

One fact that may ease the pressure: UCLA reported that it does not consider SAT or ACT scores in the admission decision, even if they are sent. This does not cover scholarships or placement—ask separately if that applies.

And for those considering a transfer: only 3 out of every 100 students who entered in 2017 transferred elsewhere without graduating here—almost no one leaves. But on the other hand, many arrive: 3,699 undergraduate students entered as transfers in the fall of 2023, a large figure compared with similar schools. If your child is considering transferring to UCLA from another institution, ask in writing which courses will count and which will not. This fact does not say how many credits are recognized in the transfer.

The sticker price, and why the "in-state" label matters so much

This is where many families get scared unnecessarily, or relax unnecessarily. Let's take it slowly.

For the 2023–24 year, the reported total cost of attendance—for a first-time, full-time student living on campus—was $38,031 at the California resident rate, and $68,808 at the out-of-state rate. That is a difference of $30,777 per year. It is not a printing error: it is the real gap between being from California and not being from California.

The total cost also includes an estimate of other expenses (laundry, transportation, entertainment) calculated by the financial-aid office. This is a reference budget for calculating aid, not a bill that arrives at your home. Compared with similar schools, this total—even at the resident rate—is among the highest in the group.

Ask the first question that needs to be asked: under what requirements is a student classified as a California resident, and from when do they apply? It is not the same everywhere, and the difference is worth more than $30,000 per year.

What each family actually pays, based on income

At University of California-Los Angeles, among 733 first-time, full-time students seeking a credential, who received federal Title IV aid and paid the state or district rate, whose EFC records reported family income below $30,000, the average net price was $6,864. Among 393 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $11,065; among 478 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $30,481. For dependent students, the band adds their parents' income and their own.

Between the average for the lower-income band (733 students) and that of the highest band (478 students), there is a difference of $23,617. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $15,166.

Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this fact with the same time coverage, this one falls in the cheapest quarter for lower-income families, after scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it is inexpensive for your family. It is a fact that matters when you build the list of schools to apply to.

Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours comes first. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the state or district rate. The overall average with scholarships, when it appears, describes first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. What controls is the aid letter you receive yourself.

Scholarships, Pell, and loans: who receives what

Aid that does not have to be repaid—scholarships and grants—went to 55 out of every 100 degree-seeking students. That is more than half, but not everyone. Compared with similar schools, UCLA falls in the quarter where scholarships reach fewer students proportionally. Among those who did receive it, the average for the year was $21,007—real money, but it is not a price: what decides is what remains after aid, and that must be requested school by school.

The Pell Grant, aimed at low-income families, went to 27 out of every 100 students.

Regarding loans: in the 2022-23 academic year, only 21 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan. Most were not awarded one that year. Compared with similar schools, federal loans are used here less than at almost all of them—nine out of ten similar universities had a higher proportion of students borrowing from the federal government.

Among those who did take out a loan, the average was $5,746 that year. Important: a student appearing in this count does not mean they had enough for the year—it only means they were lent money, and we do not know how they covered the rest. This average also does not include Parent PLUS loans signed by parents, bank debt, credit cards, or debt accumulated over several years. It is only a one-year snapshot of federal loans in the student's name.

UCLA also reports a tuition installment payment plan as a formal mechanism for managing the cost.

Campus life, support, and other pieces of the puzzle

UCLA does have institutional housing, with reported capacity for 23,912 students on or off campus. It is not required for all full-time, first-time students, according to the institution itself—although that does not rule out a specific program requiring it. It also offers meal plans with a fixed number of meals per week in its largest plan. Having the option does not guarantee a bed or that the plan is included: ask in writing for the year's rate, the housing application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a space or placed on a waiting list.

Regarding ROTC: UCLA marked that it has all three branches—Army, Navy, and Air Force, plus the Marine Corps option within Navy—something only 135 of the 3,012 universities in this database do. Being marked does not confirm that the program is completed on this specific campus, nor available spaces, nor scholarships. Ask about each path by name.

In sports, UCLA competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. Membership belongs to the school, not your child: if they are interested in competing, write directly to the coach for that specific sport.

For distance learning, UCLA offers online courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the fall count, virtually no undergraduate student took their entire academic load remotely (0 out of every 100, rounded). It did report having at least one program in which all required courses can be completed remotely, although this fact does not confirm at which level or in which major. Confirm it in writing if it is relevant to your family.

The library operates with employed staff, annual spending above the $100,000 threshold tracked by the government, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary lending. And in general support, UCLA reports: combined academic and career counseling, employment services, placement services upon program completion, child care on campus, Yellow Ribbon participation (for veterans), a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military personnel, a student veterans organization, and a disability-services webpage. The fact that these services are reported does not measure their quality or effectiveness—that must be asked by name before your child needs them.

Those who stay and those who finish

Here UCLA shows figures worth examining closely, with the proper care.

Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022 as first-time, full-time students, 97 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already completed a bachelor's degree one year later. It is a very high figure compared with similar schools—among those that retain the most of their cohort. But this number combines two different groups (those still enrolled and those who had already graduated) without saying how many are in each.

For graduation: of those who entered in 2017 as full-time students attending college for the first time, 93 out of every 100 graduated within six years or less (5,578 out of 6,020). At four years, the figure was already 86 out of every 100—only 7 points different from the six-year timeframe. Compared with similar schools, UCLA is among those that graduate the most students.

Widening the lens to eight years and a broader cohort—which includes both first-time students and students with previous college experience, full-time and part-time, who entered between July 2015 and June 2016—93 out of every 100 had a degree or certificate from this school by August 2023. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was 91 out of every 100—only 3 points below the group without Pell. On both measures, UCLA is among the schools that graduate the most students in its comparable group.

These are high and real numbers. But I need to tell you this with complete clarity, without drama or embellishment: a high percentage is not a promise for your child. It describes what happened to a specific cohort at this particular school. What is in your hands, and in theirs, is that they enter with credits in order, that from the first semester they know who their academic advisor is, and that they learn in time when the courses their major needs are open for enrollment.

Putting the pieces together

You now know, with the depth these official data allow, one of the three pieces you need to decide with your family: what UCLA is, how it admits students, what it costs at its different layers, and what happens to those who enter.

You still need to combine it with what your child truly wants to study and what they have built so far to get here—that is their territory, not yours. And you still need to combine it with what your family can and is willing to pay, which only you can calculate with the real financial-aid letter in hand, not with any average in this article.

From those three pieces together—the university, the student, the family—a plan is born. This article gives you the first one with all the clarity the data allow. The other two are up to you and your child.

Source note: the information in this article comes from official data reported by University of California-Los Angeles to the United States Department of Education's IPEDS system, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, in addition to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Best College Aid does not represent University of California-Los Angeles or any government agency; this piece is an independent public-information effort to help families understand the available public information.