About UCLA

With an acceptance rate of 18% and an impeccable ranking amongst other colleges in the world, it is no wonder that UCLA remains one of the top academic institutions in the U.S.A. UCLA (short for University of California at Los Angeles) was founded in 1919 — exactly a hundred years ago by Ernest Moore and Edward Dickenson. It was originally known as the Southern Branch of the University of California, but that changed later in 1927 by the Regents. Today in 2019, UCLA boasts a student body of more than 44,000 thousand students in total and includes highly ranked schools, such as Medicine, Law, Management, Engineering, and Applied Sciences, and Theatre. The University offers more than 120 undergraduate majors, 90 minors and a huge selection of graduate programs as well.

Campus Details

The UCLA campus is located in Westwood’s neighborhood, Los Angeles, about five miles away from the Pacific Ocean. The campus encompasses 163 buildings scattered across approximately 419 acres of land and was designed by Allison & Allison, a local architecture firm. The campus is divided into two sections; a North section, and a South section. The North section entails the arts, humanities, law, history, business programs. The South section includes the sciences, engineering, mathematical sciences and fields related to health. It is also home to the UCLA medical center. One building on campus, which was named after an alumnus, received a Nobel Prize for initiating negotiations between the Arabs and Jews in 1950. A Japanese style garden (The Hannah Carter Japanese Garden) can also be found on campus.

Student Life at UCLA

The impressive campus at UCLA ensures that every student acquires the experience associated with college life. With over 1,000 student organizations and 60 Greek chapters, UCLA has plenty of diverse options under its belt. You can choose to volunteer on campus, participate in several events, or join athletic activities. Many sports are offered, such as soccer, swimming, golf, basketball, lacrosse, and several others. UCLA is known for its sports teams and holds a record for the most NCAA titles (about 111 titles). The wrestling and judo segments of the 2028 Olympics are expected to be held at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA’s campus offers more than 20,000 parking spots, alongside a transportation program that is environmentally friendly. Students can purchase a pass program, which enables them to use transportation on campus to facilitate their trips.