UCLA - University of California - Los Angeles

09/20/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/21/2026 00:11

Move-in week: Bruins bring their big dreams, and a bedazzled duck, to UCLA

Amid the scores of students and families hauling carts filled with mini-refrigerators, mattress pads, TVs and overstuffed suitcases to UCLA's residence halls this week, first-year student Chase Harris showed up with perhaps the most quintessentially "LA" items of all: a couple of surfboards.

For the economics major and longtime wave-rider from Carlsbad, the boards were part and parcel of the new life he's been planning for years. "I had come to visit UCLA a few times, and it's always been really cool," said Harris, who now joins two older brothers as a Bruin. "I just felt that this was where I wanted to be. I worked really hard, and now I'm here."

Elizabeth Kivowitz/UCLA

Surf's up in Westwood. First-year economics major Chase Harris, with his mom, Ashley, and his boards.

Nearby, his mom, Ashley, beamed. "It's just such a great university - it checks all the boxes," she said. "There's so much for him to look forward to, and I'm really excited for him."

That sense of excitement and possibility infused the huge migration unfolding across campus and Westwood, with nearly 20,000 new and returning students, helped along by their families and friends, moving into university-owned housing for the 2026-27 academic year, including roughly 15,300 Bruins settling into their digs on the Hill.

With thousands arriving each day between Sept. 16 and 19, the operation has involved some serious choreography. As Bruin buses and vans have ferried folks to the Hill, some 800 student volunteers and True Bruin Ambassadors have helped keep UCLA's ubiquitous blue and yellow moving carts rolling and the Bruin spirit flowing.

They have been joined by Chancellor Julio Frenk and his partner, Associate of the Chancellor Felicia Marie Knaul, with the welcome wagon waving pom-poms and shouting "Welcome, Bruins" and "Happy move-in" as the sounds of UCLA's Marching Band practicing reverberated across campus.

David Esquivel/UCLA

Julio Frenk and Felicia Marie Knaul greet students with some help from their dog Shimmy, sporting his Bruin best.

And everywhere, carts, carts and more carts, ferrying clothes, record players, knick-knacks, energy drinks, industrial-sized packs of Takis and instant noodles, and all the little things that make a dorm a home. Crammed among the belongings in the container of Houston resident Emily Ma were a photo puzzle of her beloved Shetland sheepdog and a bedazzled stuffed duck.

The first-year student, who plans to major in pre-business and economics, with a minor in data science, was thrilled to begin exploring all her new city has to offer. "LA is just where it's at," she said.

"This is where her passion is," her mother, Long, said "and we're very excited for her to pursue her dream in Los Angeles, at UCLA. I feel the very warm welcome here already. Emily is going to feel at home."

And while they were hauling, unpacking and figuring out where everything would fit, Bruins spoke about the feeling of belonging that attracted them to Westwood, and what the year ahead might look like.

Barbra Ramos/UCLA

Houston, we have a Bruin: Texas resident Emily Ma celebrates move-in with her parents before beginning her first year at UCLA.

For Avery Douglas, who'd left Stockton with her parents at 5 a.m. for the drive to Westwood, that meant getting as deeply involved as she could in a campus whose supportive spirit drew her in the first place. With her father and mother standing by in "UCLA Mom" and "UCLA Dad" T-shirts, she spoke about the UCLA community and joining some of the hundreds of clubs and organizations the campus has to offer.

"I just really wanted to be in a place that has such positive energy and is really supportive," the first-year musicology major said. "Plus, there's a lot of stuff to do besides academics."

Likewise, Keira Lahiff, a first-year competitive snowboarder from Truckee who plans to major in physiological science, was looking forward to exploring UCLA's clubs, particularly those around pre-med, but said the big draw was the campus's collaborative and supportive environment.

"I just don't want to be in a dog-eat-dog type of campus," she said. She also admitted that there was another important factor in her decision - one heard frequently among incoming students.

"I can't lie," she said, smiling. "I've heard the food's really good."

Barbra Ramos/UCLA

A Bruin family affair: First-year musicology major Avery Douglas celebrates move-in with her parents, who came dressed for the occasion.

For first-year student Juleen Grace Mallari, the process of getting involved had already begun. The psychology major and public affairs minor from San Francisco spent move-in operating a photo area for new admits as a member of Rieber Hall's resident government council - a position she applied for over the summer and spent weeks training for.

Meeting UCLA students during an initial visit to campus, she said, helped convince her that the university was where she wanted to be. "They just built such an amazing community. I was like, 'OK, I really want to go here now,'" she said.

For Mallari, that feeling of community was even more important than UCLA's rankings or reputation. "At the end of the day, I want to go to a school where I feel like I actually belong," she said.

For returning students, move-in brought other feelings. Second-year student Maya Solis traveled from Dobbs Ferry, New York, with her parents for her second move-in on the Hill. After the adjustment of relocating last year, coming back felt different.

"I think I'm just excited to feel familiar with everything," said Solis, who is planning to study communication, with a minor in film. "But there are still so many new things I'm excited for."

Her mother, Christina, had advice for parents going through their first UCLA move-in. "Just enjoy the experience, enjoy the journey," she said. "It's a happy time - and bittersweet because you're dropping off your child. But it's exciting to watch them grow and discover themselves along the way."

(Photo credit: David Esquiel/UCLA)

Student volunteers bring the energy to move-in, cheering on arriving students with pom-poms and megaphones.

(Alt-description: UCLA student volunteers in blue shirts cheer and clap as one calls out through a large blue-and-gold "Go Bruins!" megaphone during move-in.)

(Photo credit: David Esquiel/UCLA)

Chancellor Julio Frenk and his partner, Associate of the Chancellor Felicia Marie Knaul (center), join Monroe Gorden Jr., UCLA's vice chancellor for student affairs (second from right), in welcoming Bruins to their new home during move-in week.

(Alt-description: Chancellor Julio Frenk and Felicia Marie Knaul pose with UCLA students and staff inside a residence hall during move-in.)

(Photo credit: Barbra Ramos/UCLA)

First-year business economics major Micah Cort didn't have far to travel - he's from Los Angeles - and UCLA was already familiar territory thanks to high school summer programs he attended on campus, like the UCLA VIP Scholars Program and the Early Academic Outreach Program.

"It's just a wonderful school," he said. "I've already got the lay of the land. It feels like home."

(Alt-description: Student Micah Cort smiles with his parents during UCLA move-in, surrounded by residence halls and other arriving Bruins.)

(Photo credit: Barbra Ramos/UCLA)

First-year business economics major Ananth Muralidharan arrived from Dallas with his family and a vision board he plans to fill with goals for his UCLA years. A jazz drummer and former high school marching band member, he hopes music will remain part of his life here.

"College is formative," he said, "and I want to form a good character for myself."

(Alt-description: Ananth Muralidharan smiles with his parents and older sister during UCLA move-in.)

(Photo credit: Elizabeth Kivowitz/UCLA)

Second-year business economics major Brianna Orea-Villafana is returning to UCLA with a better sense of how to balance academics and college life. A first-generation college student from the San Fernando Valley, she overcame gaps in her high school's advanced math offerings by taking additional courses online and after school. After navigating the transition to UCLA last year, she's looking ahead to opportunities in marketing and sports marketing.

(Alt-description: Brianna Orea-Villafana smiles with her mother, sister and another family member during UCLA move-in.)

(Photo credit: Elizabeth Kivowitz/UCLA)

First-year psychology major Mara Kemp-Malone arrived from Piedmont, California, with her dad, grandmother and aunt, and it was something of a family homecoming. Her grandmother earned a master's degree in English here, and her grandfather worked at UCLA. Kemp-Malone, who once expected to attend college on the East Coast, is eager to explore campus and Los Angeles.

"I'm really excited," she said. "It feels unreal."

(Alt-description: Mara Kemp-Malone smiles with her father, grandmother and aunt during UCLA move-in, with campus buildings and trees in the background.)

(Photo credit: Barbra Ramos/UCLA)

First-year applied mathematics major Maverick Balma brought one of move-in's more unusual keepsakes from his home near San Diego: a wooden sign decorated with flip-flops that he found at a thrift store.

"It's one of my prized possessions," he said. At UCLA, he's looking forward to math courses, club swimming and studying the philosophy of religion.

(Alt-description: Maverick Balma smiles with his parents during UCLA move-in while holding a wooden sign decorated with carved flip-flops.)

(Photo credit: Elizabeth Kivowitz/UCLA)

First-year psychology major Juleen Grace Mallari, who plans to minor in public affairs, was already building community during move-in, helping welcome fellow students as a member of Rieber Hall's resident government council. Meeting Bruins during an earlier campus visit helped seal her decision to attend UCLA.

"At the end of the day, I want to go to a school where I feel like I actually belong," she said.

(Alt-description: Juleen Grace Mallari holds a blue-and-gold "All In" pennant in front of a True Bruin Welcome backdrop during UCLA move-in.)

(Photo credit: Barbra Ramos/UCLA)

First-year physiological science major Keira Lahiff came to UCLA from Truckee, California, with a snowboard in tow. A competitive snowboarder since age 7, she's looking forward to exploring pre-med clubs - and learning to surf. UCLA's collaborative and supportive atmosphere appealed to her.

"I just don't want to be in a dog-eat-dog type of campus," she said. And then there's the dining. "I can't lie - I've heard food's really good."

(Alt-description: Keira Lahiff smiles with her parents beside a yellow moving cart loaded with her belongings, including a snowboard, during UCLA move-in.)

(Photo credit: Barbra Ramos/UCLA)

For second-year student Maya Solis, returning to UCLA from Dobbs Ferry, New York, brought both familiarity and anticipation. Solis, who plans to study communication and minor in film, said the adjustment to life across the country was significant her first year.

This time around, "I'm just excited to feel familiar with everything," she said, while knowing "there are still so many new things I'm excited for."

(Alt-description: Maya Solis smiles with her parents during move-in on UCLA's campus, with residence halls and palm trees in the background.)

(Photo credit: David Esquiel/UCLA)

Winning ways: Chancellor Julio Frenk poses with members of the UCLA football team, who pitched in during move-in week.

(Alt-description: Chancellor Julio Frenk stands with members of the UCLA football team wearing blue team shirts during move-in week.)

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