The University of California received a record number of
applications for the coming academic year, attracting more
applications from minority, international and community college
students, according to data released Friday.
TERENCE CHEA
SAN FRANCISCO
The University of California received a record number of applications for the coming academic year, attracting more applications from minority, international and community college students, according to data released Friday.
The number of students applying for undergraduate admission for the fall 2009 term increased by nearly 5 percent to almost 127,000, up from 121,000 applications for fall 2008. But the rate of growth slowed from last year when the 10-campus UC system reported a 9-percent jump in applications.
“The very rapid growth that we’ve seen in high school graduates is now starting to slow down,” said Susan Wilbur, UC’s director of admissions.
UC received 98,000 applications for freshman slots, a 3 percent increase over last year, while the number of transfer applicants rose 11 percent to nearly 29,000. More than 80 percent of transfer applications came from California community college students, a group that UC has been working hard to attract.
The rise in UC applications comes as the university prepares to reduce freshman enrollment target by 2,300 students – or 6 percent – in the coming academic year in response to the state’s budget crisis. Enrollment will be cut at the Davis, Irvine, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz campuses.
Wilbur said Friday that the university still plans to fulfill its promise of offering admission for every California student who meets its academic standards, but students on average will receive fewer offers and some may be offered spots at campuses to which they didn’t apply.
UC campuses are expected to begin notifying students about admission next month, and students must decide on enrollment by May 1.
Some other interesting statistics about this year’s UC applications:
– There were significant increases in applicants from American Indian, Latino, African American and Asian American students, and a slight decrease in the number of applicants describing themselves as white or other.
– Nearly 9,000 international students applied for admission as freshmen or transfer students, increasing about 25 percent for the second year in a row.
– The freshman applicant pool continues to be dominated by female students who made up 55 percent of all applicants, though men slightly outnumber women among transfer applicants.
– The number of applications increased at Riverside, Davis and Irvine; held steady at Berkeley and Los Angeles; and decreased at Merced, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and San Diego.
– Nearly all of the applications were submitted online.
