Why STEM Applications Should Start with Choosing a Career Direction
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Westwood, Los Angeles, California, USA
University of California, Los Angeles is one of the best public universities in the USA and the world. UCLA receives more applications than any other university in the country: more than 145,000 applicants annually — more than the combined contingent of all Ivy League universities. The location in Los Angeles gives students unique access to three industries at once: cinematography, technology and medicine. Entering UCLA is difficult, but for those who prepare systematically, it is a real goal.
UCLA was founded in 1919 as the southern campus of the University of California system. In just over a century, it has grown from a regional teacher’s college to one of the world’s leading research universities, with over 130 academic departments, 12 professional schools, and more than 300 research centers.
The campus is located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles and spans 419 acres. Hollywood is 20 minutes away, Santa Monica is 10 minutes away, and the business districts of Los Angeles are a half-hour away. For students focused on film, media, and technology, this is a significant advantage.
UCLA has produced 15 Nobel laureates and more than 250 Olympic medalists, more than most countries in the world. Among the Nobel laureates are astrophysicist Andrea Ghez (Physics, 2020) for her research on the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and mathematician Terence Tao (Fields Medal, 2006), who is currently a professor at UCLA.
Notable alumni include Francis Ford Coppola (director, BFA Film 1962), Jim Morrison (lead singer of The Doors, studied film at UCLA), Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Jackie Robinson, the first African-American player in Major League Baseball and the first UCLA athlete to compete in four sports.
| Degree of education | bachelor's degree, master's degree, doctoral degree, and professional programs |
| Percentage of accepted students | 9.41% (Class of 2029 — 13,659 accepted out of 145,086 applications); for international students, about 6%; for Film/TV, about 3% |
| Probability of employment after training | median salary after 6 years: $59,063 (US News); 98% of Anderson MBA students receive an offer after their internship |
| Scholarships | need-based assistance for U.S. citizens and California residents; institutional grants are not available for international students; they must rely on external scholarships and PhD funding |
| Directions | engineering, film and television, business, law, medicine, natural and human sciences, education, architecture |
| Type | Public Research University |
| The size of the student campus | about 47,000 students (33,471 bachelors + about 14,000 in master's, doctoral, and professional programs) |
| % of foreign students | about 15% |
| Student campus | 419 acres in Westwood, Los Angeles — 20 minutes from Hollywood, 10 minutes from Santa Monica |
Bachelor’s (International Students / Non-Residents): $55,976 per year (tuition + NST + fees, 2025–2026)
Master’s (International Students): from $17,550 to $32,652 per year (basic tuition + Nonresident Supplemental Tuition $15,102); professional programs (Anderson MBA, Law, Medicine) are higher and are charged separately
Doctoral: Most PhD programs are fully funded – stipend, tuition and NST coverage, insurance through departmental fellowship or TA/RA positions
This is markedly higher than Berkeley ($71,000–75,000), which is explained by the higher Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition at UCLA ($39,270 vs $15,102 at Berkeley). At the same time, the cost is still lower than most private universities of comparable level.
UCLA has 4 academic divisions (College of Letters and Science) and 12 professional schools:
The largest academic department. More than 125 specialties: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, economics, political science, history, philosophy, and linguistics. The Business Economics program, one of the most popular among international students, is also offered here.
Computer Science (CSE), Biomedical and Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Civil Engineering. Ranked in the top 15 engineering programs in the United States. The acceptance rate for Computer Science is around 4-6%.
One of the best film schools in the world. Directing, screenwriting, production, acting, and theater design. The acceptance rate is around 3%, one of the lowest at UCLA. Direct connections to Hollywood are integrated into the curriculum.
It is one of the top 20 business schools in the United States. MBA, Executive MBA, FEMBA (Fully Employed MBA), and specialized master’s programs (finance, management, and marketing).
One of the leading medical schools in the United States, affiliated with the UCLA Health System. Very limited number of places for international students.
Ranked among the top 15 law schools in the United States. Strong programs in entertainment law, human rights, and technology law.
Pedagogy, library and information sciences, and education management.
Fine arts, design, architecture, dance, and music (through the Herb Alpert School of Music).
Performing arts, musicology, jazz, ethnomusicology; acceptance rate of about 19%.
One of the most competitive programs at UCLA: the acceptance rate is around 1%.
Public health, epidemiology, and biostatistics.
UCLA’s Westwood campus is one of the liveliest in the US. 419 acres in the western part of Los Angeles, in direct walking distance from Westwood Village – an area of cafes, cinemas and restaurants. A few minutes away are the beaches of Santa Monica and Malibu, 20 minutes away are Hollywood and the studios of the largest film studios.
UCLA guarantees housing for all first-year students for four years – this is rare among large universities. About 40% of undergraduate students (95% of first-year students) live on campus. Dorms are located primarily in the northern part of the campus, the Hill District; housing for upperclassmen and graduate students is available in university apartments near the campus.
There are over 1,200 student clubs and organizations on campus, ranging from academic societies and entrepreneurial hubs to political clubs and media projects. The Daily Bruin, the student newspaper, has been published since 1919. The UCLA Bruins compete in NCAA Division I and are one of the most decorated teams in American college sports history, with over 130 team championships in all sports.
UCLA accepts 9.41% of applicants (class of 2029, 145,086 applications), which is the largest applicant pool among all US universities. For international students, the acceptance rate is lower, around 6%.
As in Berkeley, the application is submitted to a specific faculty. The competition varies significantly: College of Letters and Science — about 10%, Engineering — about 6%, TFT — about 3%, Nursing — about 1%.
Full high school transcript. Minimum UC GPA for non-residents is 3.4 (non-residents). Competitive acceptance range: weighted UC GPA of 4.40–4.73.
Four 350-word responses out of eight questions are the same as in Berkeley and other UC campuses.
For undergraduate programs, the UC Application is not required. For graduate programs and PhDs, it is mandatory.
UCLA is test-blind: SAT and ACT are not accepted or considered at all.
Universal for the entire UC system: November 30. UCLA does not offer Early Action or Early Decision.
For creative fields (TFT, Arts and Architecture), a portfolio is required, which includes your own works, scripts, filming, and productions.
International applicants are required to have a TOEFL (minimum 83 iBT, recommended 100+) or IELTS (minimum 7.0).
A critically important nuance for international students: UCLA, as a state-owned university, does not provide institutional need-based grants to international students. Moreover, UCLA is need-aware for international applicants: requesting financial aid may negatively affect the admission decision – the acceptance rate for foreigners in need of aid is lower than the general rate. Cal Grant, UC Grant, and Blue+Gold Opportunity Plan grants are available only to US citizens and California residents.
International students can look forward to: external scholarships from their home country, individual departmental fellowships (especially at the Master/PhD level), and merit-based scholarships from individual schools (Anderson, Law).
UCLA provides more than $1 billion in financial aid each year. About 70% of students receive some form of support, and about 46% of first-year students receive need-based aid. The average net price for aid recipients is $15,637.
However, as in Berkeley, almost all of this support is available to U.S. citizens and California residents. For international undergraduate students:
The median salary for UCLA graduates after six years is $59,063 per year (US News). The UCLA alumni network has over 500,000 members worldwide, and in Los Angeles, UCLA graduates make up a significant portion of professionals in media, medicine, and law.
Three industries in direct access make UCLA unique: cinema (Warner Bros., Netflix, Disney, Universal — 20 minutes away), technology (Silicon Beach — Snap, Google, Amazon — a few blocks from campus), and medicine (UCLA Health System — top 5 hospitals in the US, right on campus). Anderson MBA students through Riordan Programs gain access to Los Angeles’s largest employers while still in school.
UCLA receives more applications than any other university in the United States, with over 145,000 applications annually, which exceeds the combined number of applications from all eight Ivy League universities.
UCLA is test-blind: the SAT and ACT are not accepted at all — one of the few top 20 schools in the US with this policy.
Jackie Robinson, the first African-American player in Major League Baseball, attended UCLA and became the first athlete in university history to compete in four sports simultaneously.
Terence Tao, a current UCLA professor, winner of the Fields Medal (2006), and often referred to as the “Mozart of Mathematics,” solves open mathematical problems right at the UCLA Department.
The School of Theater, Film, and Television is one of the three most competitive programs at UCLA (acceptance rate ~3%), and graduates work for major studios even before they graduate.
UCLA has produced more than 250 Olympic medalists, more than most countries that have participated in the Olympic Games.
Admission to UCLA is a separate strategy. The university uses the UC Application, its own essays, and a clear selection logic by faculty. At SelfStartGlobal, we help you:
Our students have already received scholarships worth more than $35 million.
If you want to apply to UCLA, come for a free consultation. We will tell you how it works in your specific case.
She entered graduate school at Kent State University and Ohio University. At Ohio University, she won a Graduate Teaching Assistantship with full funding of $37,774, covering tuition, insurance, and living expenses.
She enrolled in graphic design at universities in France, Italy and Hungary. She received scholarships at all of them and chose the university with the maximum funding — $135,000 for the entire period of study.
He entered Siena Heights University (USA) for the Theater and Music program with a full scholarship of $170,000. Preparation took less than a year.
Got accepted to NYU Abu Dhabi on the first try (acceptance rate 4%) with a scholarship of $217,000. Also received offers from Lynn and Drexel University.
She enrolled in Fashion PR programs at five US universities
She was admitted to three American universities at once: Augustana College, Widener University, and the University of South Dakota. She chose Augustana College, where she received a scholarship of $45,000 per year.
He entered a master’s program in the USA at two universities at once – Brandeis University and Washington University in St. Louis, receiving scholarships totaling $80,000. He chose Brandeis University and went to study on the first try.
