UCLA Athletics Giving Away Free Tuition To Help Fill Rose Bowl

Support Local Media - Click to Add LA Sports Report as a Preferred Source on GoogleFriday the 13th is typically considered an “unlucky” day. But two UCLA students will find themselves especially lucky.UCLA Athletics announced two Bruins will receive one quarter of in-state tuition fees by attending its home game next week against Illinois.How UCLA students are eligible for the in-state tuition giveaway View this post on Instagram A post shared by LA Sports Report (@lasportsreport)The rules to enter are simple:Students must be in the Rose Bowl before kickoff next Friday the 13th when the Bruins host the Fighting Illini at 6:00 p.m.Check in with ‘BruWin Rewards‘ in the free UCLA app.Stay until the 4th quarter.The university’s NIL collective, Champion of Westwood, is helping with the promotion. For reference, a quarter of in-state tuition costs nearly $5,500, whereas tickets to a football game for students cost… nothing!UCLA Athletics in September announced that admission to regular-season football and men’s and women’s basketball games is now free. Students can claim their complimentary tickets through their student ticket account beginning the Monday of each game week.“Our students are the heartbeat of UCLA,” said Tim Harris, UCLA CEO and Director of Athletics, in a statement. “Their passion, energy and pride create an atmosphere that makes a difference for our student-athletes and coaches.We want as many students as possible experiencing UCLA Athletics, supporting their fellow Bruins and helping us build one of the best home environments in college sports. We need our students to show up, be loud, and make a difference.”Why is UCLA giving away free in-state tuition?UCLA’s home attendance of 31,461 ranks second-to-last in the Big Ten in attendance this season, according to D1 Ticker. Only Northwestern’s 21,876 is lower. Head coach Bob Chesney has publicly challenged students— and his players— to get the Rose Bowl rocking.“I think the student section was slow to get in there and then it felt like they left a little bit early,” Chesney said after the Bruins’ win over Michigan State on Oct. 24. “I think that they’ve got to do a better job too – we’ve all got to do a better job.We’ve probably got to just get a little bit more involved in making sure our guys in classes are talking about this with everybody and making sure they can connect a story and a face to this team, not just what this team is but ultimately the people on it.”To his credit, Chesney has made considerable efforts to connect with the student body, including delivering pizzas on frat row in the spring and hosting students at practice last month.Also worth noting, UCLA adopted a “scan count” policy this year, as first reported by California Post’s Ben Bolch. This means only counts people who actually enter the stadium are counted in the attendance figure. Bolch detailed that previously, attendance tallied all tickets distributed along with non-ticketed and credentialed individuals.Who does UCLA play this weekend?Airplane mode 🔛 pic.twitter.com/TkSh64GI0Y— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) November 5, 2026While students can start making their plans to get to the Rose Bowl next Friday (a ticket on The Rooter Bus is $15), the team first has to tackle a rough road environment.No. 8 UCLA will face Big Ten foe Minnesota at 9 a.m. tomorrow. The game will air on Fox.The post UCLA Athletics Giving Away Free Tuition To Help Fill Rose Bowl appeared first on LA Sports Report.