California State University—Los Angeles is a public institution that was founded in 1947. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 22,626, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 175 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. California State University—Los Angeles’s ranking in the 2021 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities West, #26. Its in-state tuition and fees are $6,768; out-of-state tuition and fees are $18,648.

The California State University—Los Angeles, also known as Cal State LA, is a state school that is fairly accessible to commuting students. It has a train stop on the Metrolink and nearly 20 bus lines stop nearby. For students who want to live on campus, the university provides residence halls and apartments.

Through the school’s Early Entrance Program, gifted students can gain admission to Cal State LA when they’re as young as 11 years old. The Cal State LA athletic teams, the Golden Eagles, compete in the NCAA Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association. The span of academic offerings at Cal State LA includes roughly 100 undergraduate, graduate, pre-professional and certificate programs. For graduate students, Cal State LA offers degree programs in rehabilitation counseling, social work, nursing, fine arts and more. Notable alumni of Cal State LA include Billie Jean King, former professional tennis player; Elizabeth Devine, former producer of television show CSI: Miami; and Art Leahy, former CEO of the L.A. Metro transportation system.

California State University–Los Angeles’s 2021 Rankings

California State University–Los Angeles is ranked #26 in Regional Universities West. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

• #26inRegional Universities West (tie)
• #16inBest Undergraduate Teaching
• #11inBest Value Schools

university of california los angeles notable alumni

ICONIC & INFLUENTIAL ALUMNI

Dreamers and doers, from different decades, from all walks of life and from every discipline: These are UCLA’s outstanding alumni. People who believe anything is possible – and frequently prove it. On this page, we list a handful of the many UCLA optimists who have had a noticeable impact on our world.

Science and Technology

• Vinton Cerf, Internet Hall of Fame
• Anna Lee Fisher, astronaut and first mother in space
• Richard Heck, Nobel laureate in chemistry

• Nathan Myhrvold, inventor
• Taylor Wang, first Chinese-born astronaut

Health

• Timothy Miller, surgeon and Operation Mend supporter
• Randy Schekman, Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine
• Paul Terasaki, tissue-typing pioneer

Arts and Letters

• Agnes de Mille, dancer and choreographer
• Juan Luis Herrera, first Latino U.S. poet laureate

• James Horner, Academy Award-winning composer
• Kay Ryan, U.S. poet laureate

Public Service

• Tom Bradley, first African-American mayor of Los Angeles
• Ralph Bunche, diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
• Elinor Ostrom, political scientist and first female Nobel laureate in economics

• Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles mayor
• Henry Waxman, Congressional watchdog

Entertainment

• Mayim Bialik, actor and neuroscientist
• Carol Burnett, comedian
• Francis Ford Coppola, Academy Award-winning director
• James Dean, actor

• James Franco, actor
• Alexander Payne, writer and director
• Rob Reiner, actor and director
• George Takei, Star Trek actor and activist

Sports

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA superstar
• Troy Aikman, NFL Super Bowl quarterback
• Arthur Ashe, Wimbledon champion
• Ann Meyers Drysdale, basketball All-American

• Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic medalist and track star
• Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball legend
• Bill Walton, NBA superstar