Therapy at UCLA: what's free and what's covered

TherapyCalifornia Editorial

Updated August 25, 2026 · Sources cited below

UCLA students start at CAPS (Counseling & Psychological Services), which publishes its session allowance instead of leaving you to discover it at intake. CAPS states four sessions for all registered students, and four more (eight total) for those on UC SHIP, or as clinically indicated, and says it adjusts those limits with demand.¹ The triage assessment is free to every registered student. The other number matters just as much: without UC SHIP, CAPS therapy sessions cost $30 each ($30 for group as well, with a $20 late-cancellation fee); with UC SHIP they are prepaid.¹

On UC SHIP? Behavioral health coverage can follow you to an off-campus therapist, and CAPS referral coordinators exist to make that handoff. Do not trust a regional price estimate: ask each practice for its written full fee, lowest sliding-scale fee, cancellation charge and expected UC SHIP cost. You can also compare associates →, sliding-scale routes →, and telehealth anywhere in California — the provider needs a California license, not a Westwood address. Here is the rule →

Waived UC SHIP onto a parent's plan? Coverage works, but EOB paperwork may reach the policyholder — the confidential-communications fix → takes one form. Aged past parental coverage or money's gone thin: Medi-Cal covers students → and financial aid doesn't block it. After-hours crisis: the CAPS line (310) 825-0768 is answered 24 hours a day, and 988 works for everyone, always. CAPS also runs satellite offices inside specific schools — public health, dentistry, nursing, medicine, engineering, management, law, athletics and the Academic Advancement Program — which is usually a faster door than the central one.¹

Choose the right UCLA door

First visit: start with free CAPS triage. Ask whether you qualify for four sessions or the UC SHIP allowance of up to eight, and whether clinical need changes the count.
Cost check: without UC SHIP, confirm the published $30 visit fee and $20 late-cancellation fee.
Urgent or after hours: call 310-825-0768, answered 24/7.
Longer care or medication: ask the referral coordinator to explain UC SHIP authorization, network and copay rules before the first outside visit.

In crisis? Call or text 988 — free, 24/7.

Sources: 1. UCLA CAPS eligibility and fees, short-term counselling and psychotherapy, crisis, and satellite clinics pages — counseling.ucla.edu, read 18 August 2026 · UC SHIP — ucop.edu.

Who this covers

Undergraduate and graduate students

Undergraduates

Currently enrolled undergraduate students can use the campus counseling service under the eligibility and fee rules above.

Graduate students

Currently enrolled graduate students can use the campus counseling service under the eligibility and fee rules above.

Official eligibility source →

Money check

Help paying therapy copays and other costs

These routes are different. A reimbursement fund repays an eligible cost. Emergency aid is reviewed case by case. Insurance pays only under its plan rules.

Direct medical grant

Campus Medical Care Assistance Fund

Who: Eligible UC SHIP students and enrolled dependents with qualifying costs above $500

What it may pay: Can cover eligible out-of-pocket costs up to the in-network individual maximum; eligible services include inpatient and outpatient mental-health care.

What to do: Check eligible service dates and the deadline before relying on the award. Save itemized invoices, receipts and insurance explanations of benefits; submit only the documents the official application requests.

Open the official program page →

Insurance correction

Retroactive mental-health referral request

Who: UC SHIP students who received care without first obtaining a CAPS referral

What it may pay: Students may request retroactive reimbursement; approval is not automatic.

What to do: Call the plan before the first outside visit. Confirm the clinician’s network status, referral rule, copay or coinsurance, deductible and claim or superbill procedure.