The UCLA International Institute promotes interdisciplinary education and research on world regions and global issues through 25 interdisciplinary research centers and eight interdepartmental degree programs. In addition, the institute leads efforts to internationalize UCLA curricula to prepare students to be global citizens and organizes the popular all-campus celebration of International Education Week every fall.

The institute offers six undergraduate majors including Global Studies, International and Area Studies, and International Development Studies; 10 undergraduate minors, including Global Health and International Migration Studies; and three master’s degree programs in African Studies, East Asian Studies, and Latin American Studies. These academic programs annually enroll nearly 1,000 students. Together with its centers, the institute serves the entire campus through a wide range of academic activities, scholarships, and grants. It also brings together faculty from the College, professional schools, and diverse research centers for collaborative research initiatives. The institue serves as a gateway to the world for both UCLA and the global city of Los Angeles, hosting regular free public events, research conferences, cultural programs, and K–12 outreach.  

In addition to its 20 area-based research centers, the institute also houses the Burkle Center for International Relations, Center for Buddhist Studies, Center for the Study of International Migration, Center for World Languages, Fulbright Enrichment Program, and International Visitors Bureau. The U.S. Department of Education (DoEd) has designated its centers focused on East Asia, Latin America, Near East, and Southeast Asia as National Resource Centers; and the Center for European and Russian Studies offers DoEd-funded foreign language and area studies fellowships. Its National Heritage Language Resource Center is the nation’s first specialized language resource center dedicated to heritage language pedagogy.