Public · Los Angeles, California

University of California-Los Angeles

University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution in Los Angeles, California. Graduates earn a median of $82,511 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $12,548/yr.

$82,511
10-yr median earnings
$12,548
Avg net price / yr
9.0%
Acceptance rate
92.6%
4-yr completion

The verdict

University of California-Los Angeles pairs top-5% graduate earnings with a highly selective admit.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

Top 2%
graduate earnings, US
9.0%
acceptance rate
92.6%
4-yr completion
+40%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Large Carnegie: R1

University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution in Los Angeles, California enrolling 33,475 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 9.0%. Graduates earn a median of $82,511 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $12,548. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.

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Data updated July 2026

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for University of California-Los Angeles

University of California-Los Angeles operates as a public institution located in Los Angeles, California (city: large), with a total reported enrollment of 33,475 students of which 35,441 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile's peer group and cost cohort are determined; University of California-Los Angeles is categorized as "Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Admissions and cost figures below come from the same annual IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and net-price calculation that every Title IV institution is legally required to submit to the federal government, so the same standardized methodology applies whether comparing a public flagship or a small private college. Net price nets grant and scholarship aid out of the published sticker price, the number financial-aid experts consider the honest comparison point - the table further down breaks that figure out by family income band rather than a single blended average, since what one family actually pays can look very different from what another family pays at the identical school.

The outcomes further down come from federal tax records the U.S. Treasury links to former students who received federal financial aid, not a self-reported alumni survey - an approach that removes response bias but also means graduates who never took federal aid are absent from the earnings figures. Completion and retention rates only count first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, so a school with a large transfer or part-time population can serve those students well without that showing up in these particular metrics. Reading the cost, completion, and earnings figures together, rather than any single one in isolation, is the approach the College Scorecard's own methodology recommends for judging return on investment.

College Value Score

A-
College Value Score
80/100
University of California-Los Angeles

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings A+
$82,511
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price B-
$12,548
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt D
$14,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
83.2%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A+
97.3%
First-year students returning for year two
University of California-Los Angeles vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceGrad RateDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$82,511

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$12,548

After grants and scholarships

4-yr completion

92.6%

First-time, full-time bachelor's

4-year completion vs national average (40%) 92.6%

Higher is better

College ROI Quadrant - University of California-Los Angeles vs peers

University of California-Los Angeles positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by 4-year graduation rate (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = avoid (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 8 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. University of California-Los Angeles positio… Carnegie Classification: R1 R1 AVOID PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $50K $97K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $6K $22K Avg Net Price ($) University of California-Los Angeles (you are here): $83K earn · $13K net · 93% grad You are here - University of Cali… California State University-Fullerton: $63K earn · $7K net · 70% grad California State U… California State University-Long Beach: $64K earn · $10K net · 69% grad California State U… San Diego State University: $65K earn · $15K net · 77% grad San Diego State Un… University of California-San Diego: $85K earn · $12K net · 87% grad University of Cali… University of California-Berkeley: $92K earn · $13K net · 93% grad University of Cali… California State University-Northridge: $59K earn · $7K net · 57% grad Mount Saint Mary's University: $72K earn · $21K net · 53% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by 4-year graduation rate. Top-left = best ROI; bottom-right = avoid.

How University of California-Los Angeles ranks nationally

Where this school's graduate earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

University of California-Los Angeles: graduate earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$82,511 Top 2% higher than 98% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2024

Quick Facts

33,475
Total enrollment
9.0%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
92.6%
4-yr graduation rate
$82,511
10-yr median earnings
97.3%
First-year retention

Admissions

Admission Rate 9.0%

Share of applicants admitted

0%100%9%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $15,203
Out-of-State Tuition $49,403
Average Net Price $12,548

Net Price by Family Income

$0 – $30,000 $5,579
$30,001 – $48,000 $6,682
$48,001 – $75,000 $9,811
Over $110,000 $29,682
28.2%
Pell Grant Rate
18.8%
Federal Loan Rate
$14,000
Median Debt
$148/mo
Monthly Payment

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

60.3%
Female
38.1%
First Generation

Outcomes

92.6%
4-Year Completion Rate
97.3%
Retention Rate
$59,063
Median Earnings (6yr)
$82,511
Median Earnings (10yr)
73.4%
Earning Over $25K
83.2%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Programs & Earnings

Top programs at University of California-Los Angeles by graduate earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of 2024
Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Computer Engineering Bachelor's 96 $228,705 $13,500
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 3 $223,358 $97,335
Computer and Information Sciences, General Bachelor's - $216,722 $15,156
Physics Doctoral 23 $178,137 -
Law First Professional 338 $177,968 $135,373
Engineering, General Master's 72 $177,858 -
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering Master's 151 $174,798 $40,304
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Master's 877 $169,099 $88,637
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering Master's 45 $151,186 -
Materials Engineering Master's 22 $146,629 -
Medicine First Professional 164 $143,434 $163,032
Educational Administration and Supervision Doctoral 36 $140,028 $72,829
Mechanical Engineering Master's 82 $138,803 $20,500
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Master's 147 $136,869 $50,511
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Doctoral 50 $134,860 -

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at University of California-Los Angeles?
University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution in Los Angeles, California. The acceptance rate is 9.0%. Total enrollment is 33,475 students.
How much do University of California-Los Angeles graduates earn?
Graduates of University of California-Los Angeles earn a median of $82,511 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $59,063.
How much does University of California-Los Angeles cost?
The average net price at University of California-Los Angeles is $12,548. In-state tuition is $15,203 and out-of-state tuition is $49,403. Median student debt at graduation is $14,000.
What is the graduation rate at University of California-Los Angeles?
University of California-Los Angeles has a 4-year completion rate of 92.6%. The first-year retention rate is 97.3%.
Is University of California-Los Angeles worth the student debt?
The median student debt at University of California-Los Angeles is $14,000, while graduates earn a median of $82,511 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 17% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 83.2% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $148.

Sources & methodology

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 individual school-and-program earnings records nationwide.

Every figure on this page is read live from official U.S. federal datasets, as of the 2024-25 release. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What this means for University of California-Los Angeles

  • University of California-Los Angeles's graduates land in the 2nd percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
  • The average net price after aid is $12,548 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
  • See how this school compares to every other college in California.Browse California

This profile is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice. Figures are historical averages and may not predict an individual student's outcome - confirm current details directly with the institution before making enrollment decisions.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Institution profiles are compiled directly from College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.