Founded in 1919, the University of California–Los Angeles is considered one of the top public universities in the country. With more than 27,000 undergraduates, 150 majors, 5,000 courses and 850 student organizations, UCLA is a large university with many resources to offer its students. Most undergraduates engage in research with a faculty member; in fact, UCLA has Undergraduate Research Centers for the Sciences and Humanities to help students obtain funding and connect with faculty in their field of interest.
Located in a Los Angeles suburb that borders Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Brentwood, with an average annual temperature of 73 degrees and 330 days of sunshine, UCLA’s setting is an extra draw. Students enjoy big-city access paired with a quieter residential campus life. A number of community-service programs and organizations, such as UCLA Volunteer Day, bring students into the city to help the locals and the environment.