UCLA Tuition 2006-2007
UC systemwide tuition for California residents was $6,141 for the 2006-2007 academic year. Non-residents paid $24,825 including Nonresident Supplemental Tuition. Campus-based fees averaged $711 across UC.
Resident Tuition
$6,141
Non-Resident Tuition
$24,825
Campus Fees (UC average)
$711
Year-over-year change: Resident tuition changed by 0%. Non-resident tuition changed by +3.61%.
What changed in 2006-2007
The one year fees did not go up at all
This is the outlier: systemwide fees were completely flat. In November 2005 the Regents had approved an 8 percent increase for 2006-07, but they attached an unusual condition — that the fees would be reduced or rescinded before implementation if the Governor and Legislature provided funding to eliminate the increase and the rest of the Compact stayed intact. That vote passed 7-1; a competing motion to defer any fee decision until January failed 2-6.
The state then delivered. The final budget act provided $3.077 billion in state General Funds for UC — an 8.2 percent increase — and included funds to avoid the planned student fee increases. Systemwide resident undergraduate fees stayed at $6,141 and the Registration Fee stayed at $735.
The distinction between systemwide and campus fees matters here. A UCLA student's bill still rose about $81, entirely from campus-based fees and health insurance rather than systemwide charges. Students also won a separate concession: return-to-aid was restored to 33 percent.
2006-2007 tuition in 2025 dollars
Comparing tuition across decades only works once inflation is stripped out. Adjusted with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, the $6,141 a California resident paid in 2006-2007 is equivalent to $9,807 in 2025 dollars. Non-resident tuition of $24,825 works out to $39,644 in 2025 dollars.
Resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$9,807
Non-resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$39,644
Inflation adjustment uses CPI-U annual average, U.S. city average, all items (1982-84=100). The 2025 annual average is computed from eleven months because the October 2025 index was never collected during the federal funding lapse.
What does that mean? UCLA tuition worked out to roughly $23/day of instruction, or $409/class (assuming 15 classes per year).
At California's $6.75/hr minimum wage back then, covering tuition alone would take 910 hours of work (~23 full-time weeks) — before housing and food.
Quick Facts
Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2001-2002)
+$2,712
Resident tuition rose 79.09% from $3,429 to $6,141
Non-Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2001-2002)
+$10,322
Non-resident tuition rose 71.17% from $14,503 to $24,825
Looking for Current UCLA Costs?
UCLA tuition for 2026-2027 is now $16,430 for California residents. Use our interactive Cost Calculator to estimate your total cost of attendance — including housing, meal plans, books, and more.
Sources
Figures and historical context for 2006-2007 are drawn from the following sources.
- Regents Committee on Finance minutes, Nov. 16-17, 2005 (rescission clause; 7-1 and 2-6 votes)(opens in a new tab)
- Regents Committee on Finance minutes, July 19, 2006 (state buyout confirmed)(opens in a new tab)
- Daily Bruin: Governor cancels fee increases (Jan. 8, 2006)(opens in a new tab)
- Daily Bruin: UC's students rally to protest higher fees (Nov. 17, 2005)(opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (CUUR0000SA0)(opens in a new tab)
- California Department of Industrial Relations, History of California Minimum Wage(opens in a new tab)