Housing & Living in Los Angeles

Welcome to Westwood

UCLA is located in Westwood Village, a vibrant, unique community in West Los Angeles. On a typical day, you can find college students, professionals, residents, and tourists wandering Westwoods’ collection of stores, restaurants, and theaters. The weekends attract Angelenos from across the city for dining or entertainment.

Westwood Village is conveniently located near other well-known Los Angeles neighborhoods including Bel Air, Holmby Hills, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Santa Monica.

Housing

International students typically live off campus in privately owned residence halls, homestays, or furnished apartments. Off-campus, non-UCLA housing is available year-round; students make reservations directly with housing providers. UCLA on-campus housing is available in summer only.

Learn more about housing

Places to Visit

Southern California is a land of contrasts, with sunny beaches, wild-west deserts, lush gardens, and snow-capped mountains. Well-known for Hollywood and the film industry, Los Angeles is also a hub for international business, fashion, design, and culture, including museums, concert halls, and live theater.

Los Angeles represents a wide variety of cultures and traditions; featuring large communities of Armenians, Chinese, Iranians, Japanese, Koreans, Latin Americans, Russians, Thais, and other ethnic groups. LA is also a starting point for sightseeing and excursions to San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Las Vegas. There are also several national parks with driving distance such as Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon.

Beaches

Santa Monica, a well-known beach community, has a 22-mile-long bicycle path where you can bicycle, inline skate, jog, and walk. You can walk to many popular attractions on the famous Third Street Promenade, or enjoy games and entertainment on the Santa Monica Pier.

Venice Beach is legendary for its iconic beach boardwalk, street performers, colorful murals, and quirky shops. Artists, musicians, writers, and bodybuilders enjoy the freedom of the ocean, sand, and sun, and visitors stroll along the Venice boardwalk on weekend afternoons to sightsee.

Malibu, north of Santa Monica on the historic Pacific Coast Highway, is home to many Hollywood celebrities. Malibu offers numerous seafood restaurants, swimming, surfing beaches, natural hiking trails, and art from the middle ages to today at the iconic Getty Villa.

Hollywood

The birthplace of the movie industry, Hollywood is only about 30 minutes away from UCLA.

The Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame, the famous Chinese Theater, the Hollywood Wax Museum, Griffith Observatory, and Paramount Studios are just a few of the many attractions.

Museums