UCLA Tuition 2008-2009
UC systemwide tuition for California residents was $7,126 for the 2008-2009 academic year. Non-residents paid $27,734 including Nonresident Supplemental Tuition. Campus-based fees averaged $901 across UC.
Resident Tuition
$7,126
Non-Resident Tuition
$27,734
Campus Fees (UC average)
$901
Year-over-year change: Resident tuition changed by +7.4%. Non-resident tuition changed by +5.63%.
What changed in 2008-2009
Recession arrives: a 7.4% hike and 16 arrests
The recession officially began in December 2007, and the Governor's January 2008 budget proposed a 10 percent, $332 million reduction to UC's base budget. On May 14-15, 2008 the Regents approved a 7 percent Educational Fee increase and a 10 percent Registration Fee increase, with half of the Registration Fee money earmarked to expand campus mental health services.
Resident undergraduate mandatory systemwide fees rose to $7,126, up 7.4 percent. Nonresident undergraduate tuition rose 5 percent to $20,021, and the $60 settlement surcharge continued. UCLA students were among the protesters: 16 people were arrested at the Wednesday session and charged with disrupting a public meeting. A UCLA political science and women's studies student who was arrested told the Daily Bruin that confronting police was the only option the system left them.
The fee vote could not anticipate what followed. UC later put 2008-09 state reductions at $814 million, partially offset by $716.5 million in one-time federal stimulus funds, much of which did not arrive until the next fiscal year.
2008-2009 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 $7,126 a California resident paid in 2008-2009 is equivalent to $10,656 in 2025 dollars. Non-resident tuition of $27,734 works out to $41,471 in 2025 dollars.
Resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$10,656
Non-resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$41,471
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 $26/day of instruction, or $475/class (assuming 15 classes per year).
At California's $8.00/hr minimum wage back then, covering tuition alone would take 891 hours of work (~22 full-time weeks) — before housing and food.
Quick Facts
Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2003-2004)
+$2,142
Resident tuition rose 42.98% from $4,984 to $7,126
vs. 10 years earlier (1998-1999)
+$3,517
Resident tuition rose 97.45% from $3,609 to $7,126
Non-Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2003-2004)
+$8,540
Non-resident tuition rose 44.49% from $19,194 to $27,734
vs. 10 years earlier (1998-1999)
+$14,551
Non-resident tuition rose 110.38% from $13,183 to $27,734
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 2008-2009 are drawn from the following sources.
- Regents item F8, May 14, 2008 (2008-09 student fee increases)(opens in a new tab)
- Daily Bruin: Regents finalize vote to raise fees (May 15, 2008)(opens in a new tab)
- UC 2013-14 Budget for Current Operations ($814M reduction; $716.5M ARRA offset)(opens in a new tab)
- NBER Business Cycle Dating Committee, December 2007 peak(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)