About UCLA
UCLA is known worldwide for the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. The university is a shared public asset that benefits society by educating students, creating knowledge through research discoveries, powering the economy and improving quality of life.
History and location
UCLA was founded in 1919 as the Southern Branch of the University of California, with a campus on Vermont Avenue. The Westwood campus, opened in 1929, is located 10 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. UCLA History Project | Visiting UCLA
Academics
UCLA offers a comprehensive curriculum, ranging from the arts, social sciences and humanities to the physical sciences and life sciences.
- UCLA offers undergraduate degrees in more than 127 majors and graduate degrees in 198 program areas.
- The UCLA College of Letters and Science - five divisions encompassing 44 departments, 106 undergraduate majors and 66 graduate programs - is the most comprehensive academic organization in the University of California system.
- UCLA has 11 highly regarded professional schools. Eight are ranked among the nation's top 15 in their field by U.S. News & World Report: the David Geffen School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Anderson School of Management, the School of Law, the School of Public Health, the School of Public Affairs and the School of Nursing. The master's degree programs at the School of Theater, Film and Television and the School of the Arts and Architecture are ranked in the top 10. While dentistry programs are not ranked, the School of Dentistry is widely considered among the nation's best by several measures.
Students
UCLA is the most popular campus in the nation for freshman applicants, with 55,708 applying for fall 2009 admission.
- Estimated enrollment for fall 2008 is 39,984.
- Undergraduate students: 26,687
- Graduate students: 11,863
- Interns and residents: 1,434
- Freshmen enrolled for fall 2009 had an average fully weighted high school GPA of 4.24 and an average SAT reasoning test score of 1,899.
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In 2008-09, 35 percent of undergraduates received need-based financial aid (Pell Grants), the highest percentage of any major American research university.
Faculty and administration
A distinguished faculty is UCLA's cornerstone.
- There are approximately 4,000 faculty members and other teaching staff.
- UCLA faculty members have been the recipients of numerous prestigious honors.
- Five Nobel laureates
- 10 National Medal of Science winners
- Three Presidential Medal of Freedom winners
- Three Pulitzer Prize winners
- Hundreds of recipients of Guggenheim, MacArthur, Sloan, Fulbright-Hays and other leading academic fellowships, grants and awards.
- Gene D. Block became the chancellor of UCLA on August 1, 2007.
Research
UCLA research leads to real-world advances in knowledge that enhance quality of life around the globe.
- UCLA consistently ranks among the nation's leaders in competitively awarded grants and contracts to universities; the campus received more than $996 million during the 2008-09 fiscal year.
- UCLA has approximately 5,500 funded research projects underway at any given time.
- UCLA manages about 1,700 active inventions, including more than 630 U.S. patents. More than 450 UCLA inventions have been licensed to companies.
Health care
The UCLA Health System has been a leader in patient care, medical research and teaching for more than 50 years.
- UCLA physicians provide an array of cutting-edge and research-based primary and specialty services at four hospitals on two campuses and at more than 75 clinic locations, serving nearly half a million patients annually.
- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has been rated the best hospital in the western United States for 20 consecutive years and ranked among the top three hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
- The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, which ranks ninth nationally in research funding from the National Institutes of Health, regularly generates discoveries that lead to new medical procedures and treatments that improve quality of life.
Continuing education
UCLA Extension, one of the largest urban-based continuing education programs in the country, serves 47,000 people a year through approximately 4,300 courses, programs and conferences. Since 1996, Extension has also offered one of the nation's largest Internet-based distance-learning programs, attracting adult students from all 50 states and 80 foreign countries and U.S. territories.
Cultural offerings
UCLA is the leading arts and cultural center in the western U.S., hosting more than 1,000 visual and performing arts events each year and attracting more than 500,000 patrons. Venues include the UCLA Hammer Museum, Royce Hall, Geffen Playhouse, Freud Playhouse, Billy Wilder Theater and the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Happenings | UCLA Live
Budget
UCLA's budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year is approximately $4 billion.
- State funding constitutes approximately nine percent of total revenues, but about half of core revenues covering general operating costs like faculty salaries, facilities and police services.
- Additional revenue sources include medical center patient revenues, research grants, student fees, housing payments and private giving.
Economic impact
For every $1 taxpayers invest in UCLA, the university generates almost $15 in economic activity, resulting in a $9.3 billion economic impact on the greater Los Angeles region, according to a study issued in May 2007. UCLA is the region's seventh largest employer, with approximately 27,000 faculty and staff. UCLA-related employment and spending supports nearly 70,000 permanent jobs in the region. Impact
Athletics
UCLA has won 104 NCAA team championships, more than any other NCAA Division I college or university. The NCAA's list of the 100 most influential student athletes in history includes eight from UCLA. UCLA Sports
Alumni
UCLA has more than 384,200 living alumni, including more than 267,000 in California. Alumni Association
- Five alumni have been awarded the Nobel Prize.
- Among UCLA's many prominent alumni are:
- Antonio Villaraigosa (Los Angeles mayor)
- Ralph Bunche (United Nations diplomat, Nobel Peace Prize laureate)
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (NBA basketball legend and author)
- Francis Ford Coppola (filmmaker)
- Carol Burnett (actress)
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee (six-time Olympic track-and-field medalist)
- Faye Kellerman (author)
Community involvement
UCLA takes seriously its leadership role in the greater Los Angeles community. Numerous outreach programs engage the campus with the community and help students better prepare for college.
Updated Nov. 17, 2009