By acquiring the Marymount California University campus UCLA extends its teaching, learning and housing capacity
UCLA is acquiring two sites belonging to Marymount California University in Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro — properties that will boost access to a UCLA education and enhance the university’s impact in the region. The land acquisition is the largest in UCLA history, enabling the instruction of nearly 1,000 students.
Marymount California University, or MCU, ceased operations earlier this year due to rising costs and declining enrollments. While there was intense interest in the properties from residential developers, UCLA and MCU reached an agreement largely because of their shared educational purpose.
“UCLA has been a crucial nexus of education, research and public service within Los Angeles for more than 100 years,” said Chancellor Gene Block in a message to the UCLA community announcing the news. “As demand for our academic offerings continues to grow, this acquisition will allow us to expand student access in line with UC’s 2030 goals, strengthen our connections to the greater L.A. region, and deepen our institution’s research and public service impact.”
The University of California Regents approved UCLA’s proposal to acquire the two properties — Marymount California University’s 24.5-acre main campus in Rancho Palos Verdes, 30 miles south of Westwood, and an 11-acre residential site in San Pedro — on Sept. 22. The $80 million purchase is not expected to affect existing campus operations.
UCLA and its Academic Senate will establish a task force of faculty members and administrators to study how best to utilize the property to advance institutional goals and expand access to education. In his message to the UCLA community, Block said that the site may host academic programs as soon as next year.
“We are grateful to have been chosen as stewards of this site and to extend the tradition of teaching and learning there,” Block said. “We are thinking deeply about how the site can best increase access to education for our students and enhance the broader community, and we’re looking forward to sharing more in the future.”
UCLA will continue to advance other efforts to meet its systemwide 2030 enrollment goals, including increasing summer enrollment, expanding remote instruction as appropriate and investing in resources to help students graduate more quickly. The MCU site adds to existing spaces UCLA operates in downtown Los Angeles and elsewhere. UCLA Health also has more than 250 patient care facilities throughout the region.
“We chose UCLA because it has a long track record of educational excellence, and is perfectly suited to build upon the mission of teaching and community service we established here,” Marymount California University president Brian Marcotte said. “We are certain UCLA will be an outstanding steward of the campus for the city of Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro and the South Bay.”
