In a bid to pack the Rose Bowl and Pauley Pavilion, tickets to all UCLA home football and men’s and women’s basketball games will be free for undergraduate, graduate and extension students going forward, UCLA athletics announced Wednesday.
Previously, the Bruins had to purchase a Den Pass for $199 to gain access to home football and men’s basketball games. Students who have already purchased the Den Pass for the 2026-2027 academic year will be reimbursed.
“We have an exciting team led by [head football] Bob Chesney and a lot of momentum surrounding UCLA Athletics,” new UCLA CEO and athletic director Tim Harris said in a news release. “Now it’s time for our students to help set the standard. Arrive early. Be loud. Be relentless. We can’t wait to see a sea of Bruin Blue at the Rose Bowl this Saturday.”
The free student tickets are one of many changes Harris has made in an effort to bring new energy to the school’s signature sports that had struggled under previous athletic director Martin Jarmond.
While UCLA’s athletic department has accumulated a $222.27 million deficit since the 2020 fiscal year — the primary reason for former Jarmond’s dismissal — Wednesday’s changes are intended to increase attendance and entice others to pay to join students in the stands.
In 2025, the Bruins recorded their worst home attendance at the Rose Bowl since the team moved there in 1982, averaging 37,282 spectators per game — far below the stadium’s capacity of 92,542. The Rose Bowl has not averaged more than 60,000 spectators in a single season since 2016 and has failed to attract more than 50,000 since 2018.
Harris was keen on improving the fan presence at Chesney’s first Rose Bowl game, donating 300 tickets to fans for last week’s game against San Diego. Champion of Westwood CEO Ken Graiwer responded by matching Harris’ donation, giving away 600 tickets.
UCLA announced the scan count for Saturday’s game rather a tickets distributed figure commonly used by teams, providing an accurate tally of people inside the Rose Bowl, according to the California Post.
On Sept. 9, Harris and the athletic department announced the “Fours Up, Fans First” initiative, designed to strengthen the connection between supporters and all of the Bruin sports programs while also improving the football game-day experience at the Rose Bowl.
The campaign is centered around the BruWin Rewards program — a new fan loyalty initiative constructed to reward spectators throughout the year, giving fans the opportunity to earn points that can be redeemed for exclusive rewards, experiences and prizes. Other aspects of the initiative include fan-friendly ticket pricing, pregame concerts for tailgaters and Bruin legends calling the team to the field before every home game.
While UCLA’s home football attendance was an obvious sore point, the average turnout at Pauley Pavilion for men’s basketball games was not much better.
The Bruins averaged 7,036 spectators for their home contests, among the lowest in the Big Ten.
With Pauley Pavilion’s location on campus and its proximity to students, men’s basketball could be the biggest benefactor of the change, giving the Bruins a competitive home atmosphere for more than just the biggest games of the season — although the athletic department will have to determine how tickets will be allotted for UCLA versus USC, which traditionally draws a sold-out crowd.
Harris, a former Lakers executive and UCLA alum, was originally brought in to consult on the department’s budget. After Jarmond was fired, Harris was appointed on a pro bono basis ahead of a search to fill the role.
However, before UCLA’s Week 1 victory over California, UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenck posted a photo identifying Harris as the “permanent” CEO and athletic director of the department.
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