Many students from across the globe, especially from Asia, are drawn to UCLA because of the educational prospects, top sports teams and the Southern California lifestyle.
Cynthia Holmes, the director of trademarks and licensing for Associated Students UCLA, said UCLA is actually a brand name for a clothing line in Asia. The acronym is so popular that it goes into all sorts of clothing, not just the usual sportswear sold in Ackerman Union.
“In China and South Korea, we actually have UCLA-branded shops, and all the merchandise within them is UCLA merchandise. In Japan, we don’t have shops, but we have UCLA emblematic products that are sold into upscale retailers,” Holmes said.
UCLA Chorale went on a trip to Shanghai and Beijing during spring break, and then some Chinese students came back and visited Los Angeles as part of a cultural exchange. Chorale members said students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University loved visiting UCLA.
“They kept marveling about how beautiful our campus was. … They said that college wasn’t as fun in China,” said Erin Daigle, a second-year communication studies student and UCLA Chorale member.
In China and in Los Angeles, one American student was paired up with a Chinese counterpart. Daigle said her partner student was a communication studies student and a soprano, just like her. During a campus tour, the Chinese visitors did typical Bruin activities, including rubbing the bear’s foot for good luck and discussing the backstory of Royce Hall’s design.
But it is more than just the majestic campus that draws students. Jessica Ngan, next year’s president of the Chinese Student Association, said many people have a good association with the name “UCLA.”
“I think when they just hear “˜UCLA,’ it comes with this kind of prestige,” Ngan said.
Daigle said while they were in China, they performed for the opening of a UCLA Men’s store in Shanghai. But it was not just traditional sweatshirts and track pants ““ it was an elegant clothing boutique, decorated with pictures of Powell Library and other UCLA landmarks.
“When we did (that concert) the house was packed because UCLA is so popular,” she said.
Holmes said there are many things that make UCLA so attractive to foreign students, including educational opportunities, internationally recognized research programs, winning sports teams and the California lifestyle. She said there are also technical reasons people recognize the UCLA name. We are the only school whose acronym is UCLA, as opposed to “USC” or “OSU,” which indicate more than one college’s name.
“There is no dilution of what those letters stand for,” Holmes said.
Ngan said another positive aspect is the general atmosphere of campus.
“The school pride and spirit is very big too. It’s that positive mentality that I think draws a lot of people in, too,” Ngan said.
Holmes said that though they do not license the UCLA name just to recruit students from other countries, it’s a nice “add-on” to the about $600,000 a year in royalties. She said UCLA does not really need to market itself to the global community because its reputation speaks for itself.
“UCLA is already a brand. It’s a brand of education,” Holmes said.