UCLA Tuition 2012-2013
UC systemwide tuition for California residents was $12,192 for the 2012-2013 academic year. Non-residents paid $35,070 including Nonresident Supplemental Tuition. Campus-based fees averaged $1,008 across UC.
Resident Tuition
$12,192
Non-Resident Tuition
$35,070
Campus Fees (UC average)
$1,008
What changed in 2012-2013
Prop 30 passes and the freeze holds a second year
Systemwide resident tuition stayed at $11,160, unchanged from 2011-12, and Nonresident Supplemental Tuition also held flat at $22,878. Total average charges for a resident undergraduate rose just 0.1 percent, entirely because campus-based fees drifted up from $989 to $1,008.
The freeze was purchased politically. On July 18, 2012 the Regents adopted a resolution endorsing no increase in mandatory systemwide charges for 2012-13, noting the state budget promised UC an additional $125.4 million in 2013-14 if Governor Brown's revenue initiative passed in November and if UC did not raise charges that year. That initiative was Proposition 30. Had it failed, the Legislative Analyst's Office projected roughly $6 billion in automatic trigger cuts, about $500 million of it falling on public universities.
Voters approved it on November 6, 2012. Earlier that spring the Daily Bruin had reported the Regents were preparing to discuss a 6 percent increase — the fallback had Prop 30 lost. It never came to a vote.
2012-2013 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 $12,192 a California resident paid in 2012-2013 is equivalent to $17,096 in 2025 dollars. Non-resident tuition of $35,070 works out to $49,176 in 2025 dollars.
Resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$17,096
Non-resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$49,176
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 $45/day of instruction, or $813/class (assuming 15 classes per year).
At California's $8.00/hr minimum wage back then, covering tuition alone would take 1,524 hours of work (~38 full-time weeks) — before housing and food.
Quick Facts
Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2007-2008)
+$5,556
Resident tuition rose 83.73% from $6,636 to $12,192
vs. 10 years earlier (2002-2003)
+$8,358
Resident tuition rose 218% from $3,834 to $12,192
Non-Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2007-2008)
+$8,814
Non-resident tuition rose 33.57% from $26,256 to $35,070
vs. 10 years earlier (2002-2003)
+$18,857
Non-resident tuition rose 116.31% from $16,213 to $35,070
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 2012-2013 are drawn from the following sources.
- Regents July 2012 item F2 (no 2012-13 increase; Prop 30 contingency)(opens in a new tab)
- LAO analysis of Proposition 30(opens in a new tab)
- Daily Bruin: Regents to discuss 6 percent tuition increase (May 10, 2012)(opens in a new tab)
- UCOP Historical Fee Levels, Tables 1-3(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)