Los Angeles, US · 21 months · class of 287
UCLA Anderson MBA: cost, salary and payback
A Los Angeles program where technology is the largest destination and investment banking still takes 13.3% of the class.
Paid back after graduation in
5.0 years
Total cost $402,505 · 10-year NPV $137,522
| Tuition and fees, whole program | $186,177 |
| Living budget | $82,253 |
| Salary given up, 21 months | $157,500 |
| Summer internship earned | −$23,425 |
| Total cost | $402,505 |
| Salary after: median base salary | $160,096 |
| Signing bonus × share receiving it | $20,190 |
| 10-year net present value | $137,522 |
| Return on the cost (present values) | 35% |
US dollars at the ECB rate of the last update. Raises of 5% a year with the MBA and 3% without, discounted at 5%, before tax. How this is calculated.
Fees and budget read on October 13, 2026 · employment: Class of 2025 (MBA CSEA standard) · Built by Radif Partners · Method
- Tuition and fees
- $186,177
- Total cost, salary given up included
- $402,505
- median base salary
- $160,096
- Payback, reference person
- 5.0 years
Two years at UCLA Anderson cost $268,430 in tuition, mandatory fees with health insurance, and the school's living budget, before the salary you stop earning. For a person earning $90,000 today, the 21 months away add $157,500, the summer internship gives back about $23,425, and the total reaches $402,505. The class of 2025 reported a median base salary of $160,096, and 67.3% received a signing bonus at a median of $30,000. On those figures the degree pays back 5.0 years after graduation, with a ten-year net present value of $137,522, before tax and on the model's raise assumptions. Anderson's mix is what sets it apart: technology is the largest industry at 28.3%, yet 13.3% of the class went into investment banking, enough to rank number 3 of 12 in our banking ranking.
Technology first, investment banking close behind
28.3% of the class of 2025 went into technology at a median of $147,000, which places Anderson number 8 of 40 in our tech ranking. That median is below the school-wide figure, so a technology career repays the degree in 5.9 years for the reference person, against 4.2 years in consulting and 4.2 years in finance, both at $175,000. Investment banking alone took 13.3% of the class at $175,000, number 3 of 12 schools in our investment banking ranking, next to the larger technology group. Asset management is small, 2.2%, and pays $95,343, well under the school median.
By function, marketing and sales jobs make up 21.7% of hires, which ranks Anderson number 2 of 29 for marketing careers, and product management 8.9%. Many of those roles sit inside technology and consumer companies, which is why the industry and function tables below do not add up the same way, and why a candidate aiming at brand or product work should read both before choosing a goal in the calculator.
UCLA Anderson: where the class went
Share of the class
25.6%
| Salary reported | $175,000 |
| Graduates, about | 73 |
| Payback with that salary | 4.2 years |
Reference person earning $90,000 before the MBA.
Health cover makes the fee line heavy
Mandatory fees come to $20,709 over the two years, more than at all but 1 school on this site. Most of that is the university health insurance, which the school lists as a required charge; some schools count health cover in the living budget instead, so compare the sum of both lines. Tuition itself is $165,468, built from two estimated annual program fees. The living budget of $82,253 covers rent, food, books, transport and personal costs in Los Angeles, and only 5 American schools on this site publish a higher one.
UCLA Anderson: when the MBA pays back, for your salary
Payback after graduation
5.0 years
| Total cost with the salary given up | $402,505 |
| Salary after (median base salary) | $160,096 |
| 10-year NPV | $137,522 |
Same assumptions as the main calculator; US dollars.
Who stays in the United States
93.9% of graduates who took a job stayed in the United States, the figure our ranking for working in the country reads. The small group that left earned less: 3.3% took jobs in Asia at a median of $112,309, and 2.2% in Latin America at $92,281. For an international student planning to return home, the payback shown above rests on an American salary; on the Asian median it stretches to 11.0 years. The Asia ranking shows which schools place more graduates there.
Where UCLA Anderson stands in our rankings
- #26 of 40 · Any industry (whole class)
- #26 of 38 · Consulting
- #18 of 39 · Finance, all segments
- #3 of 12 · Investment banking
- #8 of 40 · Technology
- #21 of 39 · Working in the United States
Our fit score, reference person earning $90,000 before the MBA (method). Third-party rankings play no part in it. For reference, UCLA Anderson was ranked 32 in the FT Global MBA 2026.
What the UCLA Anderson MBA costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, whole program | $165,468 |
| Mandatory fees | $20,709 |
| Living budget, whole program | $82,253 |
| Salary given up: $90,000 a year for 21 months | $157,500 |
| Summer internship earned | −$23,425 |
| Total cost, reference person | $402,505 |
UCLA Anderson employment report: Class of 2025
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median base salary | $160,096 |
| Signing bonus (median) | $30,000, received by 67.3% |
| Summer internship, per month (median) | $9,370 |
| Graduates who accepted an offer within three months | 74.7% |
| Response rate to the survey | 95.2% |
UCLA Anderson graduates by industry
| Industry, as the school names it | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | 28.3% | $147,000 |
| Consulting | 25.6% | $175,000 |
| Financial Services | 19.4% | $175,000 |
| Entertainment & Media | 7.2% | $135,200 |
| Healthcare | 5.6% | $131,500 |
| Consumer Products | 5.6% | $121,500 |
| Energy, Utilities & Alt. Energy | 1.1% | not published |
| Non-Profit / Education | 1.1% | not published |
| of which investment banking (investment banking) | 13.3% | $175,000 |
| of which private equity (private equity / venture capital) | 1.1% | not published |
| of which asset management (investment management) | 2.2% | $95,343 |
Where UCLA Anderson graduates went to work
| Region | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| US (US Mid-Atlantic + US Midwest + US Northeast + US South + US Southwest + US West) | 93.9%* | not published |
| Asia | 3.3% | $112,309 |
| Middle East | 0.6% | not published |
| Latin America | 2.2% | $92,281 |
UCLA Anderson graduates by job function
| Function | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting | 24.4% | $175,000 |
| Finance & Accounting | 24.4% | $175,000 |
| Investment Banking | 13.3% | $175,000 |
| Corporate Finance | 5.6% | $132,000 |
| Marketing & Sales | 21.7% | $144,000 |
| Product Management | 8.9% | $170,000 |
| Product Marketing | 5.6% | $148,125 |
| General Management | 13.3% | $142,800 |
| Operations & Logistics | 7.2% | $132,600 |
| Other | 7.8% | $145,000 |
Employers named by UCLA Anderson
Amazon · Microsoft · Bank of America · Boston Consulting Group (BCG) · Deloitte · McKinsey & Company · Apple · Bain & Company · Google · Jefferies · Moelis & Company · PwC
Names only: the school gives no hire counts.
The UCLA Anderson class
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| International students | 36% |
| Women | 39% |
| Average age | 28 |
| Average years of work experience | 5.4 |
| GMAT average | 718 |
| Class size | 287 |