The College of California admitted the most important and most various class of undergraduates for fall 2024, opening the doorways of the vaunted public analysis establishment to extra California low-income, first-generation and underrepresented college students of shade, in response to preliminary information launched Wednesday.
In placing information, UC shared for the primary time the gender identification of admitted college students as a part of its annual information launch. Systemwide, ladies are the dominant gender amongst first-year college students, reaching 55%. At six campuses — Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, UCLA, San Diego and Santa Barbara — the gender hole is bigger, with males representing about 37% of scholars. UC Merced was probably the most evenly balanced, with 49% ladies and 46% males. The genders have been at larger parity amongst switch admits.
About 5% of admitted college students recognized in a different way — as nonbinary or transgender, as an illustration — or didn’t disclose their gender identification.
General, UC admitted 93,920 first-year California college students, up 4.3% from final yr, an all-time excessive amid widespread public calls for to present extra seats to state college students after campuses started admitting a bigger share of worldwide and out-of-state candidates a number of years in the past to boost income amid main state funding cuts.
The systemwide admission price for California first-year college students climbed to 70% from 68% final yr. However at UCLA, the nation’s most applied-to college, the admit price remained in single-digits, 9.5%. In complete, UC provided admission to 166,706 first-year and switch college students from California and different states and international locations.
For the fifth consecutive yr, Latinos have been the most important group of admitted first-year California college students, primarily due to their dominant numbers accepted by UC Merced. At the entire different eight undergraduate campuses, Asian People have been the main group admitted. General, Latinos made up 39% of first-year Californians admitted, adopted by Asian People at 33%, whites at 18%, Black college students at 6%, American Indians at 1% and Pacific Islanders at lower than 1%.
UC additionally elevated entry to low-income college students, who made up practically 41% of the admitted first-year California class; the share of those that would be the first of their households grew to 43%.
The college system additionally made notable positive aspects in increasing entry to California Neighborhood School switch candidates — providing admission to 26,430, a 7.8% enhance over final yr. The upper admission numbers replicate a rebound in switch candidates after a pandemic-fueled plunge. UC acquired 34,668 switch purposes for fall 2024, up from 31,646 final yr. About 3 of 4 candidates have been admitted.
“These admissions numbers display the College of California’s dedication to increasing alternative and entry, particularly for traditionally underrepresented teams, who comprise the largest-ever share of first-year college students,” mentioned UC President Michael V. Drake. “We’re setting extra California college students on the trail to a school diploma and future success, and that interprets to optimistic affect on communities all through the state.”
FAFSA fiasco
This yr’s admission cycle was difficult by a serious fiasco: the flawed rollout of a brand new federal monetary help kind that created important delays in submitting, receiving and processing pupil data to evaluate eligibility for monetary help. Campuses are nonetheless unsure about what number of college students they admitted will in the end enroll as a result of a whole bunch have nonetheless not filed their Free Utility for Federal Scholar Assist, often known as FAFSA.
“The FAFSA disaster is dwarfing and overshadowing the whole lot,” mentioned Jim Rawlins, UC San Diego affiliate vice chancellor of enrollment administration. “That is what retains me up at evening.”
Rawlins mentioned the variety of college students who’ve accepted San Diego’s admission provide however haven’t but filed a FAFSA elevated by as many as 400, or 60%, over final yr — which may lead to many dropping plans to attend as a result of they didn’t file the shape and didn’t obtain monetary help. He mentioned his workers is scrambling to contact these college students to assist them alongside, however the federal Division of Schooling has not totally solved all issues — sending out a notification Tuesday that colleges will be unable to submit batches of corrections to purposes this cycle.
That uncertainty, Rawlins mentioned, was one purpose San Diego elevated provides of admission this yr — accepting 22,979 California first-year candidates in contrast with about 20,800 final yr. However the campus additionally expects so as to add just a few hundred extra seats, as a part of a systemwide dedication so as to add 2,927 California college students in 2024-25. UC plans to make good on the enlargement plans regardless of receiving $124 million lower than anticipated below the five-year compact with Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature because of the state funds deficit.
UCLA admissions stand aside
International college students go to the College of California Los Angeles.
(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Occasions)
UCLA provided admission to eight,795 California first-year candidates for fall 2024, up by about 200 college students over final yr. That was the smallest variety of provides amongst UC campuses. However UCLA doesn’t must admit as many college students as different campuses to succeed in its enrollment targets as a result of its price of acceptance is excessive, about 60%, mentioned Gary Clark, UCLA affiliate vice chancellor of enrollment administration. UCLA additionally admitted 5,518 switch candidates for fall 2024. The campus expects to enroll about 5,250 first-year college students and three,400 transfers.
For candidates who might even see UCLA as practically unattainable to crack, with a median weighted GPA of 4.58, the switch path is usually extra accessible, with an total admission price of 26%. However Clark mentioned college students ought to concentrate on the nice variance amongst majors — the switch admission price for laptop science is 5%, as an illustration, in contrast with 60%-plus for historical past, linguistics and philosophy.
Clark additionally reiterated that UCLA considers grades and transcripts within the context of alternatives accessible to an applicant. A pupil attending a highschool with out the complete slate of Superior Placement programs is not going to be in contrast with somebody from a extra well-resourced faculty.
The Westwood campus led the way in which in provides to Black college students, who made up 8% of all admitted California first-year candidates. UC Merced had the best share of provides to Latinos — 45% — whereas Asian People made up not less than 40% of admitted college students at Irvine, Berkeley, Davis and Riverside.
General, UC Riverside admitted probably the most California first-year and switch college students — 43,016, up from 39,139 final yr — as one of many UC campuses with the room to develop considerably. Riverside additionally accepted the most important variety of college students who’re low-income and the primary of their households to attend school.
“We actually wish to be sure UCR is accessible to our California residents,” mentioned Veronica Zendejas, director of undergraduate admissions.
UC Santa Cruz admits most nonbinary college students
tudents stroll by the campus of UC Santa Cruz.
(Nic Coury/For The Occasions)
At UC Santa Cruz, the largest information is the sturdy progress within the variety of switch college students the campus plans to enroll. Santa Cruz elevated admission of first-year college students throughout the board — together with 35,008 Californians and 11,574 nonresidents. However Santa Cruz is planning to make use of most of its state funding to spice up switch pupil enrollment by 19%, mentioned Michelle Whittingham, affiliate vice chancellor of enrollment administration.
Whittingham additionally mentioned switch college students who comply with the necessities for items, grade level common and preparation for majors have a wonderful shot at acceptance. “There may be a lot narrative about how troublesome it’s to get into UC, however in the event you do what we publish as standards, you’re in” for many majors, she mentioned.
UC Santa Cruz can be the campus of alternative for college kids who determine as a gender apart from feminine and male.
Throughout UC’s 9 undergraduate campuses, 1,453 first-year California candidates recognized as nonbinary; 683 of them have been admitted to UC Santa Cruz. One trans applicant drove three hours from Washington state to a UC Santa Cruz recruiting occasion in Oregon as a result of the campus was their first alternative given its repute for inclusivity and help for LGBTQ+ individuals, Whittingham mentioned.
Extra provides to California candidates
UC Davis has additionally stepped up outreach to switch candidates, increasing its work with neighborhood schools, mentioned Malisa Lee, vice provost of enrollment administration. General, the campus elevated admission provides by 4.2% to Californians from 57 of the state’s 58 counties.
UC Berkeley diminished admission provides to all classes of first-year candidates — particularly worldwide college students, who declined to 751 for fall 2024 from 1,129 from final yr. Presents to California switch candidates grew by about 140.
In contrast, UC Irvine considerably boosted admission of worldwide first-year candidates by 33%, to eight,360 candidates for fall 2024 from 6,260 final yr, with a smaller enhance of 8.4% for California college students. Irvine had the most important share of worldwide college students in its admitted class — 24% — and the smallest share of Californians, at 54%.
UC Santa Barbara elevated provides to California college students by 15.7%, out-of-state college students by 11.5% and worldwide college students by 36%.
UC Merced additionally admitted extra first-year college students throughout the board, and led all campuses within the proportion of Californians who’re underrepresented college students of shade, with 53% of them of Latino, Black, American Indian and Pacific Islander backgrounds.
