With a history dating back to 1958, the UCLA International Institute is the central hub for global and area studies on campus. It connects UCLA to the world and the world to UCLA.
The vice provost of the International Institute is UCLA’s senior international officer (SIO) and guides the university’s global strategy and engagement; manages UCLA’s institutional agreements with foreign universities and research organizations; helps the university collaborate with its constituencies abroad and many international organizations; and leads the “Expand our reach as a global university” goal of the UCLA Strategic Plan.
On campus, the vice provost promotes international studies and exchanges, encouraging all Bruins to acquire international experience and develop global perspectives. As part of this mission, the International Institute organizes a campus-wide celebration of International Education Week (IEW) each year to showcase UCLA’s considerable international programs, support international education and exchange, connect global and local communities and share the perspectives of international and study-abroad students.
The vice provost’s office also maintains a global website that showcases a database of UCLA’s international agreements, along with maps and stories of the university’s global impact.
As the gateway for international visitors, the UCLA International Institute hosts campus visits by educational, cultural and diplomatic delegations (including university presidents, heads of state and ambassadors).
The rigorous academic programs of the institute prepare inter-culturally competent global citizens who are able to work in an interconnected world economy. It offers interdisciplinary undergraduate degrees in global studies, international development studies, and area studies; minors in global studies, global health, international migration studies and area studies; and regionally focused graduate programs. Our academic chairs, teaching faculty and center directors are internationally renowned scholars who hold appointments throughout UCLA’s College of Letters and Science and professional schools.
The International Institute functions as a campus forum for faculty and students who share global research interests. Its 22 research centers and programs support innovative international education and multidisciplinary research in different regions of the world and on pressing global issues through graduate student fellowships; language study scholarships; advanced language classes; special courses; faculty grants; and funding for conferences, publications and multidisciplinary research projects.
A natural partner of the global city of Los Angeles, the International Institute is a first‐class resource for the city and its residents. Its busy public events program links the global to the local and vice versa, offering over 400 public lectures, symposia, conferences and cultural events each academic year. These events connect the multiethnic communities of LA to the latest research and thinking on global events and the history and cultural developments of societies around the world.
The Institute in Facts and Figures
• As of spring 2025, the International Institute had a total of 11,812 individual alumni of its degree programs
(many students complete a major and one or two minors, others complete only a minor)
o 6,529 graduates completed an institute major
o 4,457 graduates completed an institute minor
o 1,334 graduates completed an institute master's degree
• Received a total of over $16 million in external grants and funding over the past five academic years
(2019–20 through 2023–24)
• Four federally funded Title VI National Resource Centers, which support area and language studies, as well
as K–12 teacher training:
o Asia Pacific Center
o Center for Near Eastern Studies
o Center for Southeast Asian Studies
o Latin American Institute
• One federally funded National Heritage Language Resource Center, part of the Center for World Languages
• One center, the Center for European and Russian Studies, that offers Title VI-funded fellowships to
undergraduate and graduate students to pursue under-studied European languages and cultures at an
advanced level
• Awarded roughly $2 million annually in student fellowships and scholarships over the past five academic
years (2019–20 through 2023–24)
• Sponsors and/or co-organizes over 400 public events annually (2024–25)
• Hosts hundreds of visiting international dignitaries and professional leaders each year, including 324 visitors
from 105 countries in 2024–25
• Promotes UCLA’s more than 200 study abroad opportunities in over 45 countries
• Celebrates UCLA’s ranking as the 15th-most popular American university for international students:
10,446 students enrolled in 2023–24*
• Hosts the 6th-highest number of international scholars among all U.S. colleges and universities:
2,509 scholars in 2023–24*
*Source: Institute of International Education. 2025. "Open Doors 2024 Data." See https://opendoorsdata.org/.
Updated July 2025
