Key Takeaways

For the fall 2025 quarter, first-year and transfer Asian students made up about 30-45% of UCLA applications, admittances and enrollments from schools in the United States – greater than any other racial or ethnic group for most school types. 
UCLA has seen a rise in overall applicants, with the previous gap between enrolled men and women starting to steadily close as of 2025 admissions as application counts for women plateau and for men rise.

American college students and their families are expected to spend $103.5 billion on back-to-school shopping in 2026, and students moving into UCLA dorms for the first time are finding that dorm essentials are a hidden cost in the college experience.

Once UCLA’s academic year begins, students will populate campus again, frequenting campus cafes and student stores for their day-to-day needs. Though they will see less traffic, campus services remain open over the summer, staffed by UCLA students. 
Daily Bruin photojournalist Amelia Chief visited four of these locations to speak with student employees about what their job is like in the sunny season.

The Hexi Corridor is a narrow strip of habitable land extending around 680 miles across northwest China. 
Bounded by the towering Qilian Mountains on the south and the Gobi Desert on the north, the Hexi Corridor became the pathway of cultural exchange between ancient China, Central Asia and the Mediterranean for centuries.

Chef Viet Pham of Pretty Bird is indulging in his latest gastronomic expansion.
The James Beard Award-nominated chef and Bay Area local is opening a restaurant within the newly transformed The Cinemas Theater, an upscale cinema in the former iPic Theaters location.

At a Persona non grata show, viewers can expect the unexpected.
Persona non grata is a musical group started in 2022 by second-year ethnomusicology student Finn Cragen.

From major film studios and ballet companies to the university classroom, a UCLA alumnus fosters inclusivity and community through costuming and illustration.
For Elle Erickson, costume is more than clothing.

A recent UCLA alumnus is exploring abstract and philosophical ideas, one frame at a time.
Zora Xu, who graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s animation program this year, said she starts her projects with a thesis, rather than a character or story in mind, and builds her project around that central idea.

UCLA’s nail artists are blending creativity, community and convenience.
Students are producing salon-level designs for accessible prices in apartments, dorms and lounges. Lavanya Lakhmani, a rising third-year cognitive science and economics student said she uses her nail art to build friendships and connections rather than simply focusing on business.

On this episode of Sidequest, listen to Podcast hosts Hela Khalil and Tilly Jones talk about their experience kayaking at UCLA’s Marine Aquatic Center.

Tilly Jones: Welcome to Sidequest, a miniseries by Daily Bruin Podcasts, where we send Podcast contributors on adventures that are unique to Los Angeles.