Fall 2026 Cohort

JOIN BEAR.

We recruit one cohort each fall. New consultants join one of three teams — strategy, marketing, and design — and are placed onto real client engagements from there.

001 / Timeline

Recruitment timeline.

Sep 14
Applications Open

Online application goes live. Apply for one or more teams.

Sep 22
Info Session

Meet the leads, ask questions, hear from current consultants. Royce 156, 7pm.

Sep 28
Apps Close

Submissions close at 11:59pm PT. Decisions on first-rounds within 5 days.

Oct 3 — 12
Interviews

Two rounds — a behavioral conversation and a team-specific case or portfolio review.

Oct 18
Offers Out

New cohort announced. Onboarding begins the following Monday.

002 / How to Apply

The rounds.

01

Submit the App

Tell us a bit about you, why Bear, and which team you're most excited about. Designers add a small portfolio link.

02

Behavioral Round

A 25-minute conversation with two current members about how you think, work in teams, and what you'd want to ship.

03

Final Round

A short case (Strategy / Marketing) or a portfolio walk-through (Design) with the team you'd be joining.

003 / FAQ

Common questions.

Who can apply?+

Any UCLA undergraduate, any year, any major. We've had consultants from CS, design, business economics, public affairs, English, materials science — the through-line is curiosity, not your major.

Do I need prior consulting experience?+

No. Most of our cohort has none. We onboard everyone with the same core training in research, frameworks, and storytelling before placing you on a project.

Can I apply to multiple teams?+

Yes. You can rank Strategy, Marketing, and Design on the application, and we'll route your interviews accordingly.

What's the time commitment?+

Roughly 6–8 hours a week during a project — a weekly team meeting, a client check-in, and async work. Project cycles run about ten weeks.

Do you recruit in winter or spring?+

We hold one main recruitment in fall. Occasionally we open a small winter or spring round if a team has capacity — those get announced on Instagram.

APPLY FOR F26.