Which has a better overall reputation: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign or UCLA?

In broad, general-name recognition terms, UCLA usually carries the stronger overall reputation. It has wider national and international visibility, a very strong public-school brand, and more immediate recognition among people outside academia. For employers and grad schools, both are highly respected, but UCLA tends to have the more universally recognizable name across fields.

That said, the kind of student who should care most about reputation alone is someone who wants a broadly prestigious, highly visible brand that travels easily across industries and regions. UCLA benefits from being part of the UC system, being located in Los Angeles, and having a public image that reaches well beyond academics. If you are thinking about how a school name lands with someone who is not closely tracking universities, UCLA usually has the edge.

UIUC makes a very strong case for students who care about serious academic credibility, especially with employers and graduate programs that know higher education well. It is especially respected in technical and quantitative areas. In circles that know universities deeply, UIUC is often viewed as an elite public research institution rather than a step below better-known coastal schools.

So if by overall reputation you mean broad public prestige and instant recognition, UCLA comes out ahead. If you mean reputation among people who are closely familiar with academic quality and certain high-powered professional fields, UIUC can feel just as strong and sometimes stronger. Outside of a few very school-conscious environments, though, UCLA is more likely to be the name people immediately react to.