UCLA Tuition 2018-2019
UC systemwide tuition for California residents was $12,570 for the 2018-2019 academic year. Non-residents paid $41,562 including Nonresident Supplemental Tuition. Campus-based fees averaged $1,386 across UC.
Resident Tuition
$12,570
Non-Resident Tuition
$41,562
Campus Fees (UC average)
$1,386
Year-over-year change: Resident tuition changed by -0.5%. Non-resident tuition changed by +2.26%.
What changed in 2018-2019
No resident hike, and a rare $60 tuition cut
Resident tuition did not rise. It technically fell. Tuition stayed at $11,442, but the $60 temporary surcharge that had been built into tuition since 2007-08 to fund the Kashmiri and Luquetta settlements was eliminated, cutting resident mandatory charges 0.5 percent, from $12,630 to $12,570. UC called it the first tuition decrease in nearly two decades; the previous cut was the 5 percent reduction in 1999-2000.
Nonresidents were not spared. On March 15, 2018 the Regents voted 12-3 to raise Nonresident Supplemental Tuition by $978, or 3.5 percent, to $28,992, while deferring any resident increase. A January vote had been pushed to May, and then on April 26 the Regents cancelled the May vote entirely rather than undercut budget negotiations, with UC seeking $140 million above the Governor's proposed 3 percent.
The Legislature ultimately provided $117.5 million above the Governor's proposal plus $347 million one-time. Campus-based fees, meanwhile, kept climbing to $1,386.
2018-2019 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 $12,570 a California resident paid in 2018-2019 is equivalent to $16,116 in 2025 dollars. Non-resident tuition of $41,562 works out to $53,286 in 2025 dollars.
Resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$16,116
Non-resident tuition in 2025 dollars
$53,286
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 $838/class (assuming 15 classes per year).
At California's $11.00/hr minimum wage back then, covering tuition alone would take 1,143 hours of work (~29 full-time weeks) — before housing and food.
Quick Facts
Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2013-2014)
+$378
Resident tuition rose 3.1% from $12,192 to $12,570
vs. 10 years earlier (2008-2009)
+$5,444
Resident tuition rose 76.4% from $7,126 to $12,570
Non-Resident Tuition
vs. 5 years earlier (2013-2014)
+$6,492
Non-resident tuition rose 18.51% from $35,070 to $41,562
vs. 10 years earlier (2008-2009)
+$13,828
Non-resident tuition rose 49.86% from $27,734 to $41,562
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 2018-2019 are drawn from the following sources.
- Daily Bruin: Board of Regents votes to increase tuition of nonresident students (March 15, 2018)(opens in a new tab)
- Daily Bruin: UC approves tuition decrease for first time in nearly two decades (July 19, 2018)(opens in a new tab)
- Daily Bruin: Regents to no longer vote on tuition increase at May meeting (April 26, 2018)(opens in a new tab)
- UCOP Historical Fee Levels (incl. 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)