UCLA South Bay

UCLA’s new satellite campus

The UCLA South Bay campus is located in Rancho Palos Verdes with the UCLA South Bay Villas located in San Pedro. At the time of publishing, the new satellite campus has not opened for instruction yet. Those looking for real-time updates can find them on the Chancellor’s website; the most recent update on the South Bay sites is linked through the button below.

According to UCLA Newsroom, the UCLA South Bay campus sites were officially acquired from Marymount California University on Sept. 22, 2022, when the University of California (UC) Regents approved UCLA’s proposal to buy the properties. The $80 million land acquisition is the largest in UCLA history and the new campus is expected to support the instruction of nearly 1,000 students. The campus is also intended to expand UCLA’s presence and engagement throughout Los Angeles County. 

On Nov. 20, 2023, it was announced on the Chancellor’s website that the academic focus of the South Bay campus will be sustainability, climate change and environmental justice. The decision was inspired by the campus’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean and some of the largest port complexes in the world, which allows for unique education and research on sustainability.

Since the university has established an academic focus for the campus, the next step toward opening the South Bay location for instruction is to design academic programs and work out the campus’s operations. According to the Chancellor’s website, a UCLA South Bay Implementation Committee is planning out the academic programs that will be offered and are ensuring physical spaces are ready for use with the goal of having programs operating by fall 2024. 

In the meantime, UCLA has already used the South Bay spaces to host a summer Student Leadership Academy in 2023, as well as leadership retreats and other events. 

Keep an eye out for more news about the UCLA South Bay campus from sources like UCLA Newsroom and the UCLA Chancellor website.