UCLA Tuition 2017-2018
UC systemwide tuition for California residents was $12,630 for the 2017-2018 academic year. Non-residents paid $40,644 including Nonresident Supplemental Tuition. Campus-based fees averaged $1,334 across UC.
Resident Tuition
$12,630
Non-Resident Tuition
$40,644
Campus Fees (UC average)
$1,334
Year-over-year change: Resident tuition changed by +2.7%. Non-resident tuition changed by +4.28%.
What changed in 2017-2018
First resident increase in six years: $282
The freeze ended. On January 26, 2017, meeting at UC San Francisco, the Regents approved a 2.5 percent resident tuition increase of $282, lifting systemwide tuition from $11,160 to $11,442, plus a $54 Student Services Fee increase to $1,128. Nonresidents took a 5 percent supplemental increase of $1,332, to $28,014.
UC President Napolitano argued the increase was a last resort absent state funding, and that financial aid would rise by more than $282 so only families earning above roughly $150,000 would feel it. The lieutenant governor objected that while New York was moving toward free tuition, UC was raising costs. UCLA students pushed back through a "Fund the UC" campaign.
Three months later the politics got worse. On April 25, 2017 the State Auditor reported that UC's Office of the President held more than $175 million in undisclosed reserves, ran an undisclosed budget of $77 million to $114 million over four years, and had grown administrative spending 28 percent since 2012-13.
2017-2018 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 $12,630 a California resident paid in 2017-2018 is equivalent to $16,588 in 2025 dollars. Non-resident tuition of $40,644 works out to $53,382 in 2025 dollars.
Resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$16,588
Non-resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$53,382
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 $47/day of instruction, or $842/class (assuming 15 classes per year).
At California's $10.50/hr minimum wage back then, covering tuition alone would take 1,203 hours of work (~30 full-time weeks) — before housing and food.
Quick Facts
Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2012-2013)
+$438
Resident tuition rose 3.59% from $12,192 to $12,630
vs. 10 years earlier (2007-2008)
+$5,994
Resident tuition rose 90.33% from $6,636 to $12,630
Non-Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2012-2013)
+$5,574
Non-resident tuition rose 15.89% from $35,070 to $40,644
vs. 10 years earlier (2007-2008)
+$14,388
Non-resident tuition rose 54.8% from $26,256 to $40,644
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 2017-2018 are drawn from the following sources.
- Daily Bruin: UC Board of Regents approves 2.5 percent tuition increase (Jan. 26, 2017)(opens in a new tab)
- California State Auditor report 2016-130 (April 25, 2017)(opens in a new tab)
- Daily Bruin: Napolitano defends proposed tuition hike (Jan. 8, 2017)(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)