"Can’t UCLA make up budget shortfalls through fundraising?"

"Doesn’t the state pay all of UCLA’s bills?"

We hear comments like these all the time, but especially now as the state slides into its deepest financial crisis in decades. We have already gone through one severe round of mandated budget cuts, with additional major cuts proposed. And with the economy hurting everyone, it's more important than ever that Californians understand how UCLA is funded.

 

On this website you’ll find straight answers in plain English to the most common questions about how the budget process works. You’ll find statistics and statements that we hope will help clear up some of the confusion. Plus, information on how you can help us keep UCLA great.

 

The truth is we don’t get whatever we want whenever we ask for it. And we can’t spend the funds any way we want.

 

We’re one of the best public universities in the world. But we got there — and we stay there — by balancing public and private funding, contracts and grants, and other sources of revenue. We need all the pieces working together. If any one falters, we falter.