This post was updated at 11:16 p.m.
UCLA has spent at least $213 million on the Ascend Finance Transformation project, and yet, seven years after the project’s launch, it has few concrete accomplishments.  
“I can’t say that I’ve actually seen a live screen for Ascend,” said Reem Hanna-Harwell, a former member of the project’s steering committee. 
The initial reported budget for the project was $120 million, but, according to a presentation given during the May 2024 Ascend 2.0 quarterly town hall, the estimated total cost was projected to be roughly $286 million. 
The university declined to answer exactly how much money has been spent on the project since its official start date in April 2018. 
The Ascend project involves a transformation of UCLA’s financial system – moving from the current mainframe system to Oracle Cloud, modernizing the chart of accounts and upgrading all business applications which contribute data to the central finance, research and budget systems, according to the 2021 project charter.

Sources: UCPD. Graphic reporting by Gabrielle Gillette, Assistant News Editor. Interactive by Liam McGlynn, Data Editor.
UCPD recorded 606 unique entries in its Feb. 1 to Feb.

Sources: UCPD. Graphic reporting by Gabrielle Gillette, Assistant News editor. Interactive by Liam McGlynn, Data editor.
UCPD recorded 623 entries in its Jan. 1 to Jan.




Source: lavote.gov. Interactive by Liam McGlynn, Data Editor.<

Following its final bye week of the season, UCLA football (2-5, 1-4 Big Ten) will head to Memorial Stadium to face Nebraska (5-3, 2-3) with a shot at its second Big Ten win of the year.

Sources: UCPD. Graphic reporting by Gabrielle Gillette, Assistant News Editor. Interactive by Liam McGlynn, Data Editor.
UCPD recorded 621 unique entries in its Sept. 1 to Sept.

Sources: UCPD. Graphic reporting by Gabrielle Gillette, Assistant News Editor. Interactive by Liam McGlynn, Data Editor.
UCPD recorded 596 unique entries in its August daily crime log.

Key Takeaways

Los Angeles County contributes about 25% of all first-year enrollees and 46% of all transfer enrollees.
Applicants from private high schools had a slightly higher admission rate of 11.58% compared to 9.50% for public high school students.

Sources: UCPD. Graphic reporting by Gabrielle Gillette, Assistant News Editor. Interactive by Liam McGlynn, Data Editor.
UCPD recorded 546 unique entries in its July daily crime log.