Economic diversity and student outcomes at the
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
The median family income of a student from U.C.L.A. is $104,900, and 48% come from the top 20 percent. About 5.6% of students at U.C.L.A. came from a poor family but became a rich adult.
A new study, based on millions of anonymous tax records, shows that some colleges are even more economically segregated than previously understood, while others are associated with income mobility.
Below, estimates of how U.C.L.A. compares with its peer schools in economic diversity and student outcomes.
AccessWhat kind of students attend U.C.L.A.
Among the lowest About typical Among the highest
| In the Pac-12 | In California | Among Other elite schools (public and private) colleges | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median family income | $104,900 | |||
| Average income percentile | 69th | |||
| Share of students from top 0.1% | <1% | |||
| ...from top 1% | 4.2% | |||
| ...from top 5% | 20% | |||
| ...from top 10% | 33% | |||
| ...from top 20% | 48% | |||
| ...from bottom 20% | 8.3% |
OutcomesHow U.C.L.A. students fare later in life
Among the lowest About typical Among the highest
| In the Pac-12 | In California | Among Other elite schools (public and private) colleges | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median individual income at age 34 | $65,800 | |||
| ...for men | $75,700 | |||
| ...for women | $60,200 | |||
| Average income percentile | 72nd | |||
| Share who end up in the top 1% | 8.2% | |||
| ...in the top 5% | 27% | |||
| ...in the top 10% | 41% | |||
| ...in the top 20% | 59% | |||
| ...in the bottom 20% | 10% | |||
| Avg. income percentile of a poor student | 69th | |||
| ...of a rich student | 74th | |||
| Pct. married in 2014 | 51% |
MobilityShare of students at U.C.L.A. who ...
Among the lowest About typical Among the highest
| In the Pac-12 | In California | Among Other elite schools (public and private) colleges | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moved up two or more income quintiles | 24% | |||
| Moved from the bottom to top income quintile | 5.6% |
College by collegeComparing U.C.L.A. with its peers
Median parent income
For students born in 1991, approximately the class of 2013, in 2015 dollars.
65th out of 65 Other elite colleges
No data available for U.C.L.A..
No. 45
Carnegie Mellon
$154,700
No. 46
N.Y.U.
$149,300
No. 47
University of Richmond
$149,200
No. 48
University of Miami
$146,600
No. 49
Caltech
$146,300
No. 50
Harvey Mudd
$145,400
No. 51
R.P.I.
$143,200
No. 52
Wellesley
$141,000
No. 53
Emory
$139,800
No. 54
Occidental
$136,200
No. 55
U.N.C.-Chapel Hill
$135,100
No. 56
College of New Jersey
$133,000
No. 57
Vassar
$132,800
No. 58
Brandeis
$128,400
No. 59
Cooper Union
$127,300
No. 60
University of Rochester
$126,100
No. 61
Case Western Reserve
$125,700
No. 62
Macalester
$125,600
No. 63
Bryn Mawr
$125,200
No. 64
Rose-Hulman
$117,100
No. 65
U.C.L.A.
$104,900
Chance a poor student has to become a rich adult
The share of children who were from the bottom fifth of incomes as students and moved to the top fifth as adults.
21st out of 64 Other elite colleges
No data available for U.C.L.A..
No. 1
Rose-Hulman
78%
No. 2
Harvey Mudd
74%
No. 3
Claremont McKenna
68%
No. 4
Caltech
66%
No. 5
R.P.I.
65%
No. 6
Notre Dame
62%
No. 7
Tufts
62%
No. 8
Georgetown
61%
No. 9
Colby
61%
No. 10
Hamilton
60%
No. 11
Vanderbilt
59%
No. 12
Johns Hopkins
59%
No. 13
Lafayette
59%
No. 14
Villanova
58%
No. 15
Lehigh
57%
No. 16
Franklin & Marshall
56%
No. 17
Boston College
56%
No. 18
Northwestern University
55%
No. 19
Bucknell
55%
No. 20
Case Western Reserve
55%
No. 21
U.C.L.A.
55%
No. 22
Middlebury
55%
No. 23
U.S.C.
55%
No. 24
WashU
54%
No. 25
Carnegie Mellon
53%
No. 26
Pomona
53%
No. 27
Carleton
53%
No. 28
Barnard
53%
No. 29
University of Rochester
53%
No. 30
N.Y.U.
52%
No. 31
Virginia
52%
No. 32
Cooper Union
52%
No. 33
Washington and Lee
51%
No. 34
Brandeis
51%
No. 35
Conn College
51%
No. 36
Emory
50%
No. 37
College of New Jersey
50%
No. 38
Scripps
49%
No. 39
Swarthmore
49%
No. 40
Rice
49%
Highest
Rose-Hulman 78%
Lowest (No. 64)
Reed 27%
Median student income at age 34
Incomes continue to grow, but the relative ranks remain roughly stable after this age.
29th out of 64 Other elite colleges
No data available for U.C.L.A..
No. 9
Villanova
$78,300
No. 10
Washington and Lee
$78,200
No. 11
Rice
$76,700
No. 12
Lafayette
$75,300
No. 13
Johns Hopkins
$75,000
No. 14
Case Western Reserve
$73,400
No. 15
Tufts
$73,100
No. 16
Vanderbilt
$72,800
No. 17
Northwestern University
$72,600
No. 18
Holy Cross
$71,900
No. 19
Boston College
$71,800
No. 19
Bucknell
$71,800
No. 21
Colgate
$71,500
No. 21
Wake Forest
$71,500
No. 23
Virginia
$71,200
No. 24
Claremont McKenna
$69,900
No. 25
University of Richmond
$69,600
No. 26
Amherst
$69,300
No. 27
Emory
$67,800
No. 28
WashU
$67,500
No. 29
U.C.L.A.
$65,800
No. 30
Cooper Union
$64,300
No. 31
George Washington
$63,900
No. 32
U.S.C.
$63,700
No. 33
Brandeis
$63,100
No. 34
Williams
$62,600
No. 35
University of Rochester
$62,000
No. 35
Pomona
$62,000
No. 37
Middlebury
$61,800
No. 38
Bowdoin
$61,000
No. 39
Davidson
$60,300
No. 39
Hamilton
$60,300
No. 41
College of New Jersey
$60,100
No. 42
William & Mary
$59,800
No. 43
Colby
$59,200
No. 44
N.Y.U.
$58,100
No. 45
Franklin & Marshall
$57,800
No. 46
Haverford
$57,200
No. 47
Swarthmore
$56,700
No. 48
Wesleyan
$56,500
Highest
Georgetown $84,400
Lowest (No. 64)
Reed $36,900
Overall mobility index
This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at U.C.L.A. moved up two or more income quintiles.
1st out of 64 Other elite colleges
No data available for U.C.L.A..
No. 1
U.C.L.A.
24%
No. 2
R.P.I.
20%
No. 3
University of Miami
20%
No. 4
U.S.C.
20%
No. 5
Cooper Union
19%
No. 6
Rose-Hulman
19%
No. 7
Occidental
19%
No. 8
N.Y.U.
18%
No. 9
Caltech
17%
No. 10
Harvey Mudd
17%
No. 11
Case Western Reserve
17%
No. 12
Barnard
16%
No. 13
Lehigh
15%
No. 14
University of Rochester
15%
No. 15
George Washington
15%
No. 16
Wellesley
14%
No. 17
Swarthmore
14%
No. 18
Carnegie Mellon
14%
No. 19
Johns Hopkins
14%
No. 20
Brandeis
14%
Highest
U.C.L.A. 24%
Lowest (No. 64)
Washington and Lee 5.4%
Married in 2014
For students born between 1980-82, roughly the college class of 2002.
53rd out of 64 Other elite colleges
No data available for U.C.L.A..
No. 33
Conn College
58%
No. 34
Claremont McKenna
58%
No. 35
Williams
57%
No. 36
University of Rochester
57%
No. 37
Carleton
57%
No. 38
Johns Hopkins
57%
No. 39
Amherst
56%
No. 40
Georgetown
56%
No. 41
Haverford
55%
No. 42
Franklin & Marshall
55%
No. 43
Caltech
54%
No. 44
Scripps
54%
No. 45
Carnegie Mellon
54%
No. 46
George Washington
54%
No. 47
Pomona
54%
No. 48
Macalester
53%
No. 49
Harvey Mudd
53%
No. 50
Barnard
53%
No. 51
Kenyon
52%
No. 52
Swarthmore
51%
No. 53
U.C.L.A.
51%
No. 54
Wellesley
50%
No. 55
Wesleyan
50%
No. 56
U.S.C.
50%
No. 57
University of Miami
49%
No. 58
Bryn Mawr
47%
No. 59
Reed
47%
No. 60
Occidental
47%
No. 61
N.Y.U.
47%
No. 62
Cooper Union
46%
No. 63
Oberlin
44%
No. 64
Vassar
43%
Highest
Rose-Hulman 69%
Lowest (No. 64)
Vassar 43%
Family income vs. student income at age 34
The chart below shows how U.C.L.A. and its peer schools are comparing with the remaining schools analyzed in the study. You can click on any point in the chart to navigate to that school.
How access at U.C.L.A. has changed
Peer schools are shown in yellow
Students from...
Bottom 60%
Top 20%
Top 10%
Top 1%
Note: University of California, Los Angeles includes data for the following colleges:
The estimates presented here are based on millions of anonymous tax filings and tuition records. These statistics cover only schools that participate in Title IV federal funding, which excludes the military academies and certain other colleges.
Measures of access are for students born in 1991, roughly the class of 2013; measures of outcomes and mobility are for students born between 1980 and 1982, who are around age 35, when relative income ranks stabilizes.
Class size figures represent the number of students in the study who were born in 1991: approximately the class of 2013 or today's 25-year-olds. This measure does not include international students or students who could not be linked to their parents' tax returns.
The athletic conferences listed here are meant to be a helpful way to compare colleges with their peers. They are incomplete for some conferences. Only one conference is displayed for each college.
Source: “Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility”, by Raj Chetty, John Friedman, Emmanuel Saez, Nicholas Turner and Danny Yagan, The Equality of Opportunity Project