Enrollment: 26536
Average SAT: 658
Average ACT: 27
Most Popular Majors: Business/Managerial Economics,Political Science and Government, General,Psychology, General,
Regular Application Deadline: 11/30
Student Faculty Ratio: 16:1

Undergraduate Receiving Need-Based Financial Aid: 129
Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid: $13,643.00

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School Says - General Information
As one of the worldÂ's premier research universities, UCLA offers unimagined diversity, unmatched depth of scholarship, and limitless possibility. At UCLA, everything is extra large: 3,800 faculty, 5,000 courses, 130 undergraduate majors, more than 880 student organizations, and the cultural and social opportunities equal to a large city.

School Says - Student Body
At UCLA, the opportunities for involvement are endless: some 880 student organizationsÂâ€"more than any other universityÂâ€"spanning social, political, personal, ethnic, and cultural interests, as well as a daily student newspaper, seven specialized student magazines, a campus radio station, a yearbook, three undergraduate research journals, and a literary magazine. Fraternities and sororities are both available, along with many local community service and religious organizations near campus.

School Says - Academics
At UCLA students have immediate, first-year access to a virtually limitless selection of studies that only a world-class university can offer. Incoming freshmen can begin their UCLA experience with a Freshman Cluster (www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/clusters), an innovative program that involves stimulating, multidisciplinary exploration of challenging, timely topics. Clusters become year-long learning communities. Or, students can choose among 200 small group seminars in the Fiat Lux program (www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/fiatlux). Fiat Lux offers more than 200 classes each year to bring the talents and expertise of a premier research university into a small classroom setting where students and faculty engage in critical thinking together. Undergraduate students can perform important, publishable research in close collaboration with senior facultyÂâ€"often as early as their freshman year (www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/ugresearch). Each year, thousands of UCLA students participate in seminars, research tutorials, and departmental honors programs. Two undergraduate research centersÂâ€"Humanities and Social Sciences; Life Sciences and Physical SciencesÂâ€"help undergraduates identify faculty mentors from every discipline. The Honors Program (www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/ugresearch) provide an enriched educational experience through interdisciplinary seminars, engaging classroom presentations, individualized mentoring, and special honors courses designed to encourage and reward critical thinking. The Honors Program also offers the Honors Collegium, which is open to all UCLA students. The Collegium creates a community atmosphere in small, interdisciplinary courses with extensive interaction between students and faculty from throughout the campus, including the graduate professional schools. More than 75 Collegium courses are offered each year. At UCLA, community service is a cornerstone of undergraduate education. The Center for Community Learning (www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/communitylearning) sends students into the diverse communities of Los Angeles in programs that merge a volunteer experience with academic coursework. Programs include tutoring, research and credit-earning internships, AmeriCorps serviceÂâ€"even academic minors in Civic Engagement and Disability Studies. Want to study abroad? UCLAÂ's Education Abroad Program (www.international.ucla.edu/eap) offers opportunities in 33 countries taught at 140 universities. You can go abroad for a year, a summer, or an academic quarter, or work on international internships, independent research, and field studies.

School Says - Admissions
UCLA selects students using the carefully designed Holistic Review Process, which takes into account an applicantÂ's achievements, both academic and non-academic, in the context of the opportunities available to the student. Among other factors, the Holistic Review process specifically considers academic grade-point average; performance on standardized tests; the quality, quantity, and level of coursework taken; sustained participation in activities that develop academic and intellectual abilities; leadership and initiative; employment and personal responsibilities; and, overcoming life challenges relating to personal and family situations.

School Says - Campus Life
UCLA is located on 419 acres in the community of Westwood, a wooded suburban neighborhood of West Los Angeles that is bordered by Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Brentwood. The campus has an average year-round temperature of 73 degrees, low humidity, and 330 days of sunshine.

School Says - Cost Aid
To attend UCLA, California residents pay $7,038 for annual university fees, plus $13,935 for room, board, books, and supplies. For non-California residents, annual fees are $8,265 and $13,935 for room, board, books, and supplies; plus $19,620 for non-resident tuition. See (www.registrar.ucla.edu/fees) for updates.UCLAÂ's Financial Aid Office (www.fao.ucla.edu) evaluates eligibility for aid and ensures delivery of funds to undergraduate and graduate students. Need and non-need based aid is available. Assessment of financial need and eligibility for aid (university scholarships, grants, work-study and loans) is based on the evaluation of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Students Say - Academics
It's all about diversity in activities, academics, athletics, race, religion, and sexuality at UCLA; or, as one student puts it, "academically competitive, athletically dominated, and overcrowded." One of the most vaunted schools in the UC system, Bruins take advantage of the school's location and opportunities in order to "learn as much as you want in whatever field you desire, while being engaged in non-academic endeavors that are equally as stimulating and interesting." Students here "have a lot of things going on that are not always academic or on-campus," and "their outside experiences and passions are reflected in their contributions in class and on campus." Being a large university can be a double-edged sword, and while those enrolled here are thrilled to be able to "take classes in practically any subject you can imagine," many do wish class sizes were smaller, and "it's very difficult to get classes, especially in competitive majors." "In Chinese, most classes get filled very quickly because econ, business, and everyone else wants to learn Chinese right now," says a junior. Though there are a few complaints of disinterested professors at lower levels, once students reach upper-division courses, "the professors are extremely knowledgeable and often have written the book, literally, on the topics they are teaching." With such a wide selection of courses and departments, reviews range from "not always the greatest teachers" to "very smart [who] make themselves very available." The curve can be tough, and students begin to think of their learning as "studying longer and getting better scores than the person next to you in order to place higher on the curve." As far as step-by-step guidance goes, you "do have to be self-driven at UCLA," but "if you're determined enough you will be able to accomplish whatever you need (within reason, of course)." "It's all on you to get your stuff done," says a sophomore biology major.

Students Say - Campus Life
While at times, the school can seem large, "there are always programs going on in the buildings to help you meet new people," and most people use some form of club, organization, or sorority/fraternity to narrow down their circles. Since most of the apartments are within walking distance of the dorms, which are all grouped together, "there's a sense of community. You don't lose track of your friends in the crowd." Students here are "really concerned about academics and getting into graduate/professional schools," but on weekends, many still go to parties at the frats or off-campus apartments. "There seem to be times when no one does work, at other times everyone is busy and stays up studying for days at a time," says a student. Westwood offers everything a college student could want, from shopping, movie premieres, going to the beach, or attending the "great concerts in the area, most of which are very well priced." Naturally, sporting events are "a huge part" of the school, and all "take great pride in being part of such great tradition."

Students Say - Student Body
UCLA's a tough school to get into, and everyone here "was accepted for a reason," so most students are "well-rounded" and "extremely driven," whether it be academically, athletically, or dramatically. That being said, they also chose to go to school in one of the liveliest cities in the US, so the typical student "regards academic success highly but does not make studying the central focus of their lives," and there's a "balance of work and play." There's a "very strong Asian presence," and most people are involved in extracurricular activities, but beyond that, it's difficult to find any other common characteristics of a UCLA student, other than that they "study hard and hate USC." "Everyone, and I mean everyone, belongs here," says a sophomore, referring to the extraordinarily broad student spectrum. "It doesn't matter; there will be a group of people who are EXACTLY like you, and they will probably have formed a club for it already."

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