Is UCLA or Notre Dame considered more prestigious for college admissions and general reputation?

The biggest practical tradeoff is public-university scale versus private-university brand identity. UCLA has broader name recognition in many parts of the country and internationally, helped by its size, research profile, and the visibility of the UC system. Notre Dame has a very strong national reputation too, but it is often tied more closely to its distinct alumni network, undergraduate focus, and long-standing cultural identity.

In raw general reputation, both are clearly prestigious, and most people would view them as peers at a high level rather than one being decisively above the other. UCLA is often seen as more globally recognizable and more associated with elite public higher education. Notre Dame is often seen as more traditional, more private-school prestigious in feel, and especially powerful in certain professional and alumni circles.

For college admissions perception, neither name is going to create a dramatically different reaction on its own. UCLA may carry a slight edge in broad public recognition, especially on the West Coast and internationally. Notre Dame may carry a slight edge with people who place extra weight on private institutions, tight alumni loyalty, or its long-established national brand.

So if the question is simply, “Which is more prestigious overall?” the most accurate answer is that they are very close, with prestige showing up in different ways rather than one clearly outranking the other in everyday perception. If you forced a narrow verdict on general name recognition, I would give UCLA a small advantage; if you forced a verdict on classic private-school brand prestige, Notre Dame has the stronger pull.