UCLA Tuition 2007-2008
UC systemwide tuition for California residents was $6,636 for the 2007-2008 academic year. Non-residents paid $26,256 including Nonresident Supplemental Tuition. Campus-based fees averaged $881 across UC.
Resident Tuition
$6,636
Non-Resident Tuition
$26,256
Campus Fees (UC average)
$881
Year-over-year change: Resident tuition changed by +8.1%. Non-resident tuition changed by +5.76%.
What changed in 2007-2008
A 7% increase, voted on the UCLA campus
The buyout did not repeat. As UC's budget office told the Regents in January 2007, the Governor had provided funds to buy out student fees for the current year, but no such funds were included for the budget year. On March 14, 2007 the Regents met at Covel Commons on the UCLA campus and approved a 7 percent increase for all students, plus an additional 7 to 10 percent for most professional programs.
For resident undergraduates that was $384 more in the Educational Fee and $51 more in the Registration Fee. Total systemwide resident undergraduate fees went from $6,141 to $6,636. The published year-over-year increase is 8.1 percent rather than 7 percent because a previously approved $60 Educational Fee surcharge, tied to the Kashmiri and Luquetta settlements, took effect the same year. UC President Robert Dynes called it an agonizing decision.
Because the vote happened on UCLA's own campus, this is the best-documented year for student reaction: nine UCLA students spoke against the increase, and about 100 protested inside and outside the meeting.
2007-2008 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 $6,636 a California resident paid in 2007-2008 is equivalent to $10,304 in 2025 dollars. Non-resident tuition of $26,256 works out to $40,768 in 2025 dollars.
Resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$10,304
Non-resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$40,768
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 $25/day of instruction, or $442/class (assuming 15 classes per year).
At California's $7.50/hr minimum wage back then, covering tuition alone would take 885 hours of work (~22 full-time weeks) — before housing and food.
Quick Facts
Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2002-2003)
+$2,802
Resident tuition rose 73.08% from $3,834 to $6,636
Non-Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2002-2003)
+$10,043
Non-resident tuition rose 61.94% from $16,213 to $26,256
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 2007-2008 are drawn from the following sources.
- Regents Committee on Finance minutes, March 14, 2007 (7%, at Covel Commons)(opens in a new tab)
- Regents Committee of the Whole, March 14, 2007 (UCLA students' public comment)(opens in a new tab)
- Daily Bruin: Fee hikes stir up discontent (March 14, 2007)(opens in a new tab)
- UCOP Historical Fee Levels (incl. $60 surcharge footnote)(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)