Overall rankings are a bit ‘fickle’. For example Kiplinger (Feb 2015) ranked America’s 300 best college values, and Money (Aug 2014) had a special report: Best College Values. On Kiplinger top 100 public colleges, UC-Berkeley ranked # 4 and UCLA #5. UCLA’s had undergrad enrollment of 28,674, OOS total cost for UCLA was listed at $50,171/year, UCLA had 69% 4 year graduation rate, and average debt at graduation at $20,229. OP is a big outlier with a much bigger debt at graduation if s/he goes there (and then still wants to go on to graduate school). OP’s costs will be even higher if in the 31% that take longer than 4 years to finish UG degree at UCLA. UA was ranked #44 on this Kiplinger list.
Money’s issue with bang for tuition buck, had UC-Berkeley ranked at #13 and UCLA at #31. UCSD was ranked #46. We know a military family’s student who will go to UCSD as an in-state student, which weighed out the merit at other equally fine schools.
Another interesting comparison is that on Kipliger’s list, UNC at Chapel Hill was ranked # 1 for the top 100 public colleges (Kiplinger had quality measures and financial measures, so a more detailed analysis in print), while Money had it listed #40 on their list of top 50. Money’s top 50 had 17 schools with sticker price at public school price tag - ranging from $17,500 to $32,420 per year (UCLA was the highest public cost), and the private colleges on the list had sticker price ranging from $ 58,760 to $ 62,180 per year.
Money’s list was a bit more of an exclusive list, only 50 schools in their print listing - so its 17 factors reflecting the things they deem valuable and includes affordability (which I can argue most of the schools in this 50 list are not affordable to the average student); # 50 on their list was Vanderbilt (sticker price $61,110). Vanderbilt was #6 on Kiplinger’s top 50 private universities with UG enrollment of 6,835.
A realistic look at the amount of debt and how heavy a burden that is for UCLA OOS.
Money’s article pointed out some good things like “It’s not what or where you study - it’s both” and discussion of career services, college internships, etc. Money’s full list was ranking 665 (they screened out those with below-average graduation rates and financial problems). Money admits in how they ranked (in-depth look) that with out-of-state-public college tuition, they did not develop a cost and value comparison for these out-of-state students. Important dimension for OP.
UCLA’s student body size is pretty comparable to UA’s. Cost difference for OP is huge since CA is not in-state for s/he.