Is UCLA or Georgetown more expensive to attend overall?

Georgetown tends to be more expensive overall. Its private-school pricing means tuition is typically higher than UCLA’s listed tuition, especially for California residents, and Georgetown’s Washington, D.C. location also comes with a high cost of living.

For in-state students, UCLA is usually the cheaper option by a wide margin because the University of California system offers substantially lower tuition for California residents than a private university like Georgetown. Even when you add housing, meals, books, and personal expenses, UCLA’s total cost of attendance is commonly lower for those students.

For out-of-state students, the comparison gets closer, but Georgetown still often ends up costing more in total. UCLA’s nonresident cost is high, yet Georgetown’s base tuition and fees are typically above it, and living expenses in D.C. can keep the overall price elevated.

The part that can change the real answer for a specific family is financial aid. Georgetown can sometimes offer enough need-based aid to bring the net cost below UCLA, particularly for students who would pay UCLA’s out-of-state rate. But on sticker price and overall published cost of attendance, Georgetown is usually the more expensive school.