Top 3 Finance Clubs at UCLA (2025)

Finance at UCLA is competitive and hands on. Students don’t just study markets, they analyze real companies and manage real portfolios in an effort to prepare for top roles in investment banking, asset management, and private equity. The top finance clubs offer training, structure, and access.

These are the groups where students build models, pitch ideas, and join alumni pipelines to Wall Street and beyond.

How the Rankings Work

We assessed each club using three core pillars. These pillars capture not just where members end up, but how their clubs prepare them to get there and what kind of legacy they leave on campus.

1. Career Outcomes: We looked at internships and full-time offers across investment banking, private equity, asset management, and hedge funds. The best clubs don’t just help members land offers, they prepare students to succeed once they get into top firms.
2. Member Development: Recruiting prep is one part of the puzzle. The top finance clubs invest deeply in their members through technical training, mentorship, and hands-on experience that mirrors real firms. From valuation workshops to investment memos and stock pitch feedback, these clubs build the analytical rigor that top firms expect.
3. Reputation: Some of the top club names carry real weight both on campus and with recruiters. We looked at each club’s professional credibility including its alumni involvement, firm relationships, and reputation as a trusted pathway into top finance roles.

Bruin Asset Management

Bruin Asset Management (BAM) is widely regarded as UCLA’s top undergraduate finance club. Known for its rigorous training and consistent placement into elite firms, BAM gives its members a serious edge in recruiting. Members learn how to think like investors, present like analysts, and enter interviews with the kind of preparation most students don’t get until internships. With structured sector teams and a professional culture, BAM has become a launchpad into top investment banking, private equity, and asset management roles.

What Makes Bruin Asset Management Stand Out

• Career Outcomes: BAM’s placement record speaks for itself. For the Class of 2025 alone, members earned 16 combined buy-side and investment banking offers, reflecting the club’s deep preparation and alumni support network. Recent full-time and summer placements include at Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, and Deutsche Bank.
• Club Structure: Bruin Asset Management runs one of the most rigorous training programs on campus, which is designed to take members from foundational knowledge to full technical fluency. The structured curriculum spans the first two quarters of the school year, combining hands-on learning with personalized mentorship in topics like accounting, valuation, DCFs, and LBO modeling. Throughout weeks of training, members learn to refine their behavioral answers, build full stock pitches, and undergo mock technical interviews with real-time feedback. The program culminates in two capstone challenges: a final 30-45-minute exit interview and a stock pitch presentation to BAM’s executive team. By the end of the program, every BAM member has not only mastered core technicals but also practiced defending their thinking, which gives them a tangible edge in both banking and investing interviews.
• Impact: BAM’s members consistently land top roles in banking and private equity, backed by a strong alumni network and a reputation for producing polished, high-performing candidates. In addition to rigorous technical prep, BAM offers unique real-world experiences, including its annual trip to the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting, where students learn directly from leading investors. The club also fosters a tight-knit community through speaker panels and team-building events that create space for both professional growth and personal connection. This combination of culture and experiential learning makes BAM a cornerstone of UCLA’s finance ecosystem.

Explore Bruin Asset Management: https://www.bruinassetmanagement.com/

Bruin Hedge Fund

Bruin Hedge Fund (BHF) is one of UCLA’s most selective and respected finance organizations, known for its strong placement outcomes and deep focus on applied investing. Blending public markets research and financial modeling, BHF offers members a professional environment that mimics real-world hedge fund workflows. Whether students are interested in private equity or investment banking, BHF provides the mentorship to prepare them for the most competitive roles in finance.

What Sets Bruin Hedge Fund Apart

• Career Outcomes: Bruin Hedge Fund has established itself as a reliable feeder into top investment banking roles, with recent Class of 2025 placements at Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, Citi, and Houlihan Lokey. While many members also break into sales & trading, equity research, and the buy-side, investment banking remains the club’s most common and visible outcome.
• Club Structure: BHF combines hands-on investing with structured mentorship to facilitate member development. Recruits are paired with senior members who guide them through technical concepts, interview prep, and career navigation. Early on, members are placed into small teams to conduct industry assessments and pitch real stocks. These pitches are reviewed and voted on by the broader club, mimicking the structure of an actual hedge fund. Members also participate in case competitions throughout the year, including BHF’s flagship Houlihan Lokey Case Competition. With high expectations and real deliverables, BHF offers a professional-grade experience in public markets and investment research.
• Impact: BHF’s impact lies in both the quality of its preparation and the strength of its community. The club has built a reputation across campus and on Wall Street for producing well-prepared candidates. Members frequently connect with past alumni for resume reviews, coffee chats, and interview prep, which reinforces the club’s placement success. What really elevates BHF is its culture: beyond the stock pitches and technical drills, the club invests in its people. From retreats to informal social meetups, members form lasting friendships that carry far beyond Westwood.

Explore Bruin Hedge Fund: https://www.bruinhedgefund.com/

Bruin Value Investing

Bruin Value Investing (BVI) is UCLA’s longest-standing student-run investment fund. With over $50K in assets under management, members learn to source equity ideas, build valuation models, and make real allocation decisions. The fund places a heavy emphasis on deep research and critical thinking, which prepares members to think like true investors.

What Makes BVI a Top Finance Club

• Career Outcomes: BVI has a long-standing reputation as a high-performing finance pipeline with a 100% internship placement rate and an alumni base of over 150 members. For the Class of 2025, full-time placements included Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, J.P. Morgan, and even Boston Consulting Group (BCG), highlighting the club’s rigorous training and transferable skill set. Whether members are targeting investment banking, private equity, or consulting roles, BVI equips them with the professional polish needed to stand out in competitive interviews.
• Club Structure: BVI’s training program spans two quarters and mirrors the technical standards of top-tier investment banks and buy-side firms. In Quarter 1, members build a foundation in accounting, financial modeling, and valuation. In Quarter 2, they’ll dive deeper with advanced modules on M&A, LBOs, and enterprise value bridges. Throughout training, members also receive structured behavioral coaching, resume reviews, and mentorship from the executive board. The program culminates in live stock pitches and exit interviews, ensuring every member graduates with the technical fluency and confidence needed to perform in competitive finance environments.
• Impact: Bruin Value Investing stands out not only for its technical rigor but for the culture and community it cultivates. As UCLA’s first undergraduate student-run investment fund, BVI manages real capital across five sector teams, including TMT, Healthcare, Industrials, Consumer & Retail, and Financials, which gives members hands-on exposure to various markets. Weekly meetings focus on stock pitches and macroeconomic updates, fostering a professional and intellectually curious environment. Outside the classroom, BVI members form a tight-knit community and join an active alumni network that offers recruiting support, mentorship, and firm-specific guidance. It’s a club built not just to teach investing but to help students succeed in it.

Explore Bruin Value Investing: https://www.bruinvalueinvesting.org/

How to Get Into Top Finance Clubs at UCLA

These clubs are extremely selective so to get in:

1. Go to every event and talk to members: Don’t just show up to info sessions. Attend coffee chats, technical workshops, and any optional recruiting events. These are often informal screens where clubs assess your interest and fit. Come prepared with specific, thoughtful questions that show you’ve done your research, not generic “how do I get in” questions. Demonstrating that you understand the club’s structure will separate you from surface-level applicants.
2. Show you’re already doing the work: Top finance clubs want members who are genuinely interested in investing. Before interviews, try writing your own mock stock pitch, reviewing technical guides, or studying recent M&A deals. Referencing these in interviews shows you’re not waiting for the club to teach you everything. That mindset can be the difference between a callback and a cutoff.

How to Get Your Club Featured

The Leland Rankings highlight student organizations shaping the next generation of business leaders.

If you believe your club deserves recognition, reach out and tell us why!