UCLA School of Public Affairs

About

The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs (officially the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin School of Public Affairs) is the public affairs graduate school at the University of California, Los Angeles. The school consists of three graduate departments—Public Policy, Social Welfare, and Urban Planning—and an undergraduate program in Public Affairs that began accepting students in 2018. In all, the school offers three undergraduate minors, the undergraduate major, four master's degrees, and two doctoral degrees.

The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs continues to be ranked among the top public affairs graduate schools in California, maintaining its position as the No. 3 public affairs school in the state. Nationally, UCLA Luskin is ranked No. 20 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report.

UCLA Luskin's Social Work program maintained a top-tier position at No. 8 in the nation in 2026. The School also remains highly ranked across several key policy subspecialties: No. 6 nationally for social policy, No. 11 for urban policy, and No. 18 for public policy analysis. The School earned new recognition in the local government management category.

In April 2026, the UCLA Luskin Department of Social Welfare received a $13.5 million investment from Ballmer Group as part of a $33 million campuswide initiative to expand youth mental health training. The funding supports fellowships and specialized training programs to prepare social workers for underserved communities.

Founded in 1994, UCLA Luskin incorporates the best practices in scholarship, research and teaching in the fields of social work, urban and regional planning, and policymaking. Formerly called the UCLA School of Public Affairs, it was renamed on March 18, 2011, in honor of alumni Meyer and Renee Luskin following their $100 million gift to UCLA, with half of the donation establishing endowments for the school.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.