Applying to selective clubs at UCLA

Most UCLA clubs take anyone who shows up. A minority choose their members, and they tend to be the ones people talk about most: consulting and investment clubs, research programs that place students in labs and hospitals, engineering project teams and a handful of service programs. In this directory 316 groups take members by application, going by what they have posted or, where they have not, by how clubs like them usually recruit.

The usual process is an info session, a written application and an interview. Two parts of it are up to you: going to the info session, and writing answers that could only be about that club.

How the process usually runs

1. Info session or open house, week 1. Members explain the club, the time it takes and exactly how to apply, and you come away with something specific to write about.
2. Written application, due in the first week or two. A résumé and a few short answers is typical. Research and clinical programs may ask for availability, since they place you on a schedule.
3. Interviews. A conversation about why you want in and what you would do there. Consulting clubs often add a short case: a business problem you talk through out loud.
4. Decision. Usually within a week or two of interviews. Brain Wave, a neuroscience club, publishes its own: interviews in week 1 of fall quarter and acceptances in week 2.

Deadlines are short. In fall 2026, the Bruins Public Health Club application was due October 3, the end of week 1. If a club you like is selective, find its application link before classes start; it is on the club's page here under How to join.

Clubs that take applications

A few from Business & Careers:

• 180 Degrees Consulting180 Degrees Consulting is the premier consulting organization at UCLA for socially-driven clients. We boast a group of students who possess…Undergrads · Application
• AY ConsultingA UCLA undergraduate, student-run pro-bono consulting organization that provides strategy consulting services to local growth-stage…Undergrads · Application
• Bruin Studio Strategies (BSS@UCLA)Bruin Studio Strategies (BSS) is UCLA’s first premier entertainment consulting group committed to pioneering the intersection of policy…Undergrads
• Aurum CosmeticsInterested in cosmetics, chemistry, product development, beauty tech, or marketing? Aurum Cosmetics is the first and only club that…Undergrads
• Bruin EntrepreneursBruin Entrepreneurs (BE) is the premier entrepreneurship organization at the University of California, Los Angeles. Founded in 2013, BE’s…Undergrads
• Scholars of Finance at UCLAScholars of Finance is a rapidly growing organization on a mission to inspire character and integrity in the finance leaders of tomorrow…Undergrads · Application

And from Tech & Engineering:

• Bruin Software EngineersBruin Software Engineers (formerly Software Engineering at UCLA) prepares UCLA students for the software industry by teaching AI-era…Undergrads
• Art.ificialArt.Ificial at UCLA is a student organization dedicated to serving students interested in industries at the intersection of art and…Undergrads & grads
• Bruin Quant TradersBruin Quant Traders is UCLA’s premier quantitative finance club focusing on building a strong community of students passionate about the…Undergrads
• CruX @ UCLAAs a student-led neurotechnology club, CruX strives to raise student awareness and interest in the emerging neurotech industry as well as…Undergrads & grads

The health-side programs, from hospital research to shadowing, are covered in pre-med and health clubs.

The application

Applications are read by the club's own members, usually many in one sitting.

• Name a project, event or team the club runs and say why it is the one you want.
• Mention what you heard at the info session and from whom. It shows you came, and it is easy to check.
• Say what you would do in the first quarter, not what you hope to get out of it.

If you do not get in

Most selective clubs do not publish how many people apply, but their spots are limited. A rejection is about the number of spots, not a verdict. Some recruit again in winter or spring; Flying Samaritans, for one, takes new members in both fall and spring. Meanwhile, the open clubs in the same area run many of the same workshops and speaker events, and leading something in an open club is a good thing to point to on a later application.

Apply to several at once, keep at least one open club on your list, and save the ones you are watching so the deadlines are in one place.