Cost & financial aid brief
University of California-Los Angeles Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does UCLA cost after financial aid?
The average net price for aid recipients is $12,548, and aid covers about 68% of the published cost for that group, an offset of $26,066 against the sticker price. By income band, the average net price is $5,579 for families earning under $30,000, $6,682 for $30,001–$48,000, $9,811 for $48,001–$75,000, $14,142 for $75,001–$110,000, and $29,682 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $24,103, a difference of averages that coincides with the largest discounts concentrated at the lowest incomes.
The published cost of attendance at University of California-Los Angeles is $38,614, with in-state tuition of $15,203 and room and board of $18,369. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $5,579.
For families in the $48,001–$75,000 band, it is $9,811, and for families earning over $110,000, it is $29,682. Azimuth ranks the university #119 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Financial aid reduces the sticker price by an average of $26,066, bringing the average net price across all aid recipients to $12,548. That figure is below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,086.
In-state tuition is $15,203, while out-of-state students face a published tuition of $49,403. Median federal student debt at completion is $14,000, with 71.6% of federal aid recipients borrowing.
That median is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions by $6,076. Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $26,176.
The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $159 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal student borrowing at University of California-Los Angeles is fairly widespread: 71.6% of federal aid recipients use federal loans. For borrowers who finish, the median federal debt at completion is $14,000.
That amount sits below the $20,076 median recorded for comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $6,076. The median Parent PLUS loan, for the separate population of parent borrowers, is $26,176.
The earnings scenarios tied to the program mix at University of California-Los Angeles center on $77,677, with a downside boundary of $54,965 and an upside boundary of $110,784. Among working, non-enrolled completers four years after graduation, median earnings are $77,677, a level in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Against benchmark for comparable students, graduates earn about $9,959 less than the model expects for similar students, placing the result in the 19th percentile. Borrowers who complete leave with a median federal debt of $14,000, a balance that runs below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,076.
If repaid over ten years, that balance implies an estimated monthly payment of $159.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $26,176. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $159.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $26,176
- Estimated parent payment
- $333/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $14,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $26,176
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $159/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $333/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $492/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $77,677, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
3.5% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
The income spectrum compares the estimated student payment with the income left after the selected annual expense allowance. Changing the earnings scenario or allowance changes that comparison; parent payments are not included in this calculation.
The earnings choices are planning scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles or predictions of an individual graduate’s pay. The allowance is an adjustable model input, not a verified budget for your household.
Read the result as a comparison under those assumptions, not a guarantee that a payment is affordable.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Federal student and Parent PLUS borrowing figures do not capture all private education loans. A federal balance therefore should not be described as a family’s complete borrowing total.
Annual loan awards in a Common Data Set, when available, answer a different question from accumulated borrower debt. Compare amounts only after identifying the loan type, reporting period and population; annual school-wide awards cannot be added to a median borrower balance.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.