Great summary. Here’s similar details of my S18’s experience:
Classic triple freshman year, very small, quite hot although at least it wasn’t on the south side of the building: the views of the ocean aren’t worth it when you have to keep the curtains shut to try and stay cool. Smaller and hotter than triples at other UCs. But dining hall food is great.
Stayed in a similar room sophomore year (picked the shadiest room) then moved off campus onto Gayley. $1325 each for two in a shared studio loft (this was 2020-22 so probably more now) next to one of the frat houses. Some but not great air conditioning.
Didn’t need a car, some friends had them, but parking can be very challenging. Walking to the supermarket isn’t hard.
Competitive clubs/activities in freshman year were challenging (particularly tour guide - 500 applicants for 10 spots!). But ended up with amazing opportunities from sophomore year on, ran one of the biggest clubs (400 members), got elected to the local council etc.
Never had time for a paid job on campus, but managed to get research scholarships, grants for summer in DC and paid internships and research positions, some of which continued during term. All these grants were merit based, they weren’t restricted to those with financial need. Also was an Alumni scholar. Had great relationships with professors.
Could have graduated early but decided to make the most of senior year after Covid. Ended up in SAA which was wonderful both socially and for networking (he organized dinner with 12 strangers). Trip to Vegas with 30 people sleeping in one room without security catching on was a highlight.
I agree that UCLA is great if you hustle. If so you can end up with opportunities you won’t find elsewhere. If not then nothing will come to you. Remember they select for leadership in admissions (more so than UCB) so many people are hustling.
Have a few questions re: Health Insurance, University Fees and Nonresident Supplemental Tuition. Thanks.
Health insurance is not restricted to UCLA’s preferred insurance company. Students are free to buy health insurance on their own?
Will both University Fees and the Nonresident Supplemental Tuition remain constant for all 4 years or only the University Fees will? I read there is a multiyear Tuition Stability Plan but will get reviewed again in 2026.
Once a year, we have to submit proof that D22 is insured privately (she is on our insurance). They approve it quickly and then it shows up on our bill as a “credit” for UCSHIP (the UC insurance). You can buy an inexpensive add-on called BruinCare, which allows your Bruin to access Ashe Center for minor medical needs like urgent care visits. We do that, it’s like $60 a quarter.
Thank you. Would you know if UCLA will give suggestions to which insurance plan to buy or the kind of coverage required for those who haven’t had a family health insurance plan yet?
The rules are quite strict, the plan needs to have covered doctors and facilities within 50 miles. So you need to look carefully at any OOS insurance plan to see if it meets the criteria.
If you don’t have any insurance (eg are international) then you’ll potentially find the UCSHIP to be cheaper than other insurance available. For example unsubsidized exchange policies are typically $400-$500 per month for a college age kid in CA (for a worse policy with much higher deductibles), compared to about $300 per month for UCSHIP.
We didn’t take the BruinCare $60 per quarter - and only had one visit to the urgent care in Westwood in four years which cost $200.
The ability to opt out of UC SHIP is available at all UC campuses. We have Kaiser Permanente as our insurance and could opt out at all UC campuses except for UCSB which does not have Kaiser in the region. My children scheduled physicals, dental cleanings, eye exams, etc. when they were home over breaks. Meds/refills were shipped and a lot was managed via telemedicine. A couple of times my kids needed to be seen in person and they took ride-share to a Kaiser facility. One of my kids had an accident where they needed to be transported to ER. The ER took their insurance information, treated my student and stabilized their condition until they could receive follow up care at Kaiser. The ER billed Kaiser and Kaiser paid the ER directly.
If the Tuition Stability Plan is in place when your student enrolls in Fall 2025, it should cover your student for the four years they are attending. Note that only tuition ($14, 934) is covered by this plan. University fees and other costs of attendance are not.
Perhaps this needs to be in UCSB thread but I checked UCSB, there is a KP facility just within 50 mi at Santa Barbara from UCSB. The requirement is 50 mi and it was like 47 mi or something. I plan to switch to PPO in Nov but that will be after Fall start. Any advice would be appreciated.
The dates are for last year, but I’m sure they’ll be VERY close to these. We had to have our daughter’s in (for UC Berkeley, which is on the semester system and starts earlier than UCSB) in late July, IIRC.
Basically–you have to prove you have insurance or you’ll automatically be billed for UC SHIP by the end of September, at the very latest.
If classic residence hall is selected by the student, will they be assigned to any one of them, namely: Dykstra, Rieber, Sproul or Hedrick Hall? Students aren’t supposed to choose, right?
Will students be assigned randomly? Or according to their preference, say, will there be a questionnaire to ask students to put down their traits, routine, etc?
Students will be able to use the dorm throughout winter break, spring break etc?
Is the deadline to sign up for housing May 15? Students will sign up using their personal email or a new UCLA email?
The P behind the number means “plus” and does it mainly mean flex dollars? Does it also mean the meal swipes can be rolled over to the future?
The number without the P means there are no flex dollars and the meals per day can’t be rolled over to the future?
Once committed to the meal plan, is there a chance to adjust the number of meal swipes before the beginning of the next quarter? Or any change will only happen at the beginning of a new academic year?
Yes you could be in any of them. Doesn’t matter anyway.
You can use your room during spring break but they are closed at winter break. I think there is some limited provision (in a different specific building) for people who can’t go home.
On food:
The P is about rolling over from week to week through the quarter. So with 14P you can have 10 meals one week and 18 the next. You can’t do that without the P option. If you don’t use 14 meals that week you lose them. Meals don’t roll over from quarter to quarter but you can change the plan for the following quarter by the deadline (I think sometime in November for January). Take the P option. 14 is plenty, some might get away with slightly less. Agree with roommates on taking a small fridge, it’s cheaper to buy than rent.
So mine has 19P option and it’s been a right choice. The different in cost isn’t that great. It’s about $400 per year. Mine often uses those extra swipes to get coffee with a pastry, and we figured it was cheaper to do that with swipes than pay out of pocket. We are keeping the 19P option.
Mine had the 19P plan for 2 years. It was right for her. She rarely ate off campus. You can also donate your extra swipes at the end of a quarter to help students in need, which I think is a nice benefit if you do have too many.
My Daughter have been admitted to UCLA, and admission contract states that if I receive two grades of C or lower, I must notify the admissions team. I am currently in my second semester as a senior and taking two challenging courses: AP Calculus BC and AP Physics . My unweighted grades in both subjects are currently in the high C range (78-79), and She is working hard to improve them to a A/B and having two remaining tests, which are both challenging, she is maintaining GPA and not dropped any courses from the Semester 1 and maintaining all A’s in other papers, Will Two C’s affect her admission?
This got even more harder for students starting in Fall of 2025. Until now GPA requirement for engineering load was 3.5 for two quarters. From Fall 2025, this requirement is 3.7 for two quarters.