Take the money.
Alabama out-of-state cost is $46,286, significantly more than UCLA in-state cost of $34,062 (living the dorm), $30,360 (living off campus), or $25,323 (living with parents).
http://financialaid.ua.edu/cost/
https://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/budget.htm
It is rather more likely that the students from southern California going to Alabama but not on the big scholarships are those who had no chance of getting admitted to UCLA but would rather go to a flagship school than one of the CSUs that they could get admitted to.
However, for the OP, there is no way that going into huge debt for UCLA makes sense when there is a decent full ride option available.
Does Alabama have such a four year guarantee?
http://www.heri.ucla.edu/GradRateCalculator.php predicts that Alabama should have 44/63/67% 4/5/6-year graduation rates; its actual 39/61/66% rates are slightly underperforming. UCLA’s predicted rates are 63/80/84%; its actuals are an overperforming 73/89/91%.
Nevertheless, if the OP is a top-end student, then his/her personal likelihood of 4 year graduation will be high, so the overall average of the school is unlikely to be much of a concern.
No, the out-of-state cost at UA is $39,630.
The number you quoted includes an additional $6,656 for books, transportation, miscellaneous (i.e. personal expenses), and loan fees - in amounts far more generous than what are included in the UCLA budget. Yes, Alabama costs more than UCLA, but, with careful planning, it doesn’t need to be that much more.
And no, the Southern California kids who choose UA don’t necessarily do so because they “had no chance of getting admitted to UCLA.” Some of them simply feel that a guarantee of graduating in four years (or less!) in an impacted major is worth the somewhat higher cost for those four years. Do the math - four years at Bama is a heck of a lot less expensive than five years at a UC. And if the kid has enough AP credit to finish in three years, then that family has saved a boatload of money!
Also, as you know, an admit to UCLA does not necessarily mean an admit to the College of Engineering.
Go to Alabama. If you decide to go to grad school, go to UCLA then.
To put 180K debt in perspective (and you would only be able to assume 27K of personal loans over 4 years, where would the balance come from?) - My home’s purchase price was less than 180K. Of that, we borrowed about 145K. Twenty years later, we are still paying the mortgage every single month.
OP, you never mention which state you reside in. Can you list the COA of all the schools you’ve been accepted to and what your intended major is?
My kid took the full-tuition + $2,500/year for engineering offer from Alabama (COA of <$15,000 each year) over in-state, full pay, direct admit to Engineering at Penn State (COA for Year 1 = $34,000, and will increase each year). But others might choose differently, if they could do the latter without loans.
If you truly received a ‘full ride’ to Bama, that means you’re the type of student UA will roll out the red carpet for. If what you really mean is full tuition, it’s still a tremendous offer, but IMHO it would be worth examining the overall value of all the schools you’ve been accepted to, before you make a final decision, especially your in-state options.
FWIW, my DH is the son of a former UCLA professor and the school is revered in our family, but we could never afford to pay OOS tuition, so my son never even applied. Save the “dream” for grad school and choose the school that offers you the best overall value, especially one where you would have little or no debt.
My entire family lives in California, and all the kids/cousins attend(ed) the UCs. Every single one graduated in 4 years. Despite the horror stories you hear, it absolutely can be done. (Neighbor’s kiddo is graduating from UCLA this spring… she got her Bachelor’s in 3 years. So even graduating early is possible.)
That said, I think OP’s plan for UCLA makes little sense, especially since he has such an amazing offer from Alabama.
Based on the links from reply #21, the comparable tuition + room + board price for in-state UCLA is $27,885 (living in the dorm), $23,469 (living off campus), $17,670 (living with parents, though this means higher transportation costs). All of these are much lower than $39,630 that out-of-state Alabama costs for tuition + room + board.
Full pay (as you mentioned in reply #19) students attending Alabama would have weighted HS GPA < 3.5 or (ACT < 27 and SAT CR+M < 1210), since they do not qualify for scholarships listed at http://eng.ua.edu/undergraduate/scholarships/ . Now, given UC tendencies to favor GPA over ACT/SAT, it is barely possible for a few such students (e.g. unweighted 4.0 HS GPA and 26 ACT or 1200 SAT CR+M) to have a faint possibility of UCLA admission, but probably not for engineering.
Granted, a student who does get into UCLA probably gets a scholarship at Alabama (3.5 with 29 or 1290 for half tuition that makes the out-of-state Alabama price similar to in-state UCLA; 3.5 with 32 or 1400 for full tuition that makes Alabama cheaper). But these are not likely the full pay out-of-state students at Alabama.
Where does Alabama guarantee four year graduation? Indeed, as noted in reply #22, Alabama underperforms its expected graduation rates, while UCLA overperforms.
Obviously, the comparison is much different for the OP, as a full pay out-of-state student at UCLA facing huge debt, versus Alabama with a big scholarship, so Alabama is the obvious choice for the OP.
OP, does your Alabama full tide cover up to 10 semesters like the NMF scholarship? That is an even sweeter deal since I think it can be used for graduate studies as well.
Ha, that’s a Freudian slip that UA should definitely incorporate!
“Yes, m’am, I’m the recipient of The Full Tide.” 
OK, OP is from Maryland, which has a great state flagship, especially for engineering (their aero major is highly ranked). The COA in-state is around $25,000 a year:
He has to be NM since his scores alone wouldn’t earn him the Presidential Scholarship (full tuition) at Bama.
No one should go into ROTC unless they have a strong desire to serve their country. You have choices. Joining ROTC just to attend a dream school is foolish. Are you planning to apply to ROTC at the other schools?
Why is UCLA your dream school? Is it being in Westwood, or a particular major or program at the school, or something else?
I don’t think ANY school is worth $180,000 in debt, and certainly not UCLA. Personally, I’d be headed to Tuscaloosa. Alabama is a great school (of course, I’m biased because my daughter is there having a wonderful experience), and a full ride is really impressive. They give a lot of merit scholarships, but full rides are few and far between, so you must have really impressed them…
This is a no-brainer.
Take the Full Ride and dont look back!
No diploma is worth being in debt for a minimum of $180K before interest!!!
(Some corporations that hire, and have security clearances, and won’t hire someone in full debt. They don’t want their employees in compromising situation.)
Take the FREE MONEY and run to ALABAMA!
Roll Full Tide!
There is no comparison between UCLA and Alabama…Bama is not even close to the level of UCLA in engineering. Can you get a good education at Bama? Absolutely. But there are much stronger schools on your list that are more affordable than UCLA. If UCLA is the dream, then yes take a gap year and make it happen. Just because something is FREE doesn’t make it better.
Spoken by someone with either unlimited financial resources or an intimate knowledge of debt.
I wouldn’t argue that “FREE” is always better either. However, if the choice is between free and $180,000 in debt, it’s a pretty easy choice!
Nonethless, I still wouldn’t rule out UMD, especially if the OP is considering something like aerospace engineering.
What’s the job that an 18-year-old fresh out of high school can land and net $180k? I’ve got a 19-year-old with a year’s worth of college credit who wants one.