Preliminary fall 2012 data: Record freshman admits to UC
April 17, 2012 •
UC admitted a record 80,289 freshmen to at least one of its nine undergraduate campuses for fall 2012, students who reflect the diversity and academic prowess of the similarly record-setting applicant pool.
Hanging over this good news, however, is the reality that the state’s continuing disinvestment in its public university system means that admission offers to California residents increased over the previous year by only 3.6 percent, a preliminary total of 61,443 students.
This number does not meet the tremendous demand for a spot at UC, where systemwide enrollment targets for in-state students will remain unchanged for 2012. As such, the overall admission rate for California students dropped from 69.7 percent for fall 2011 to 65.8 percent for fall 2012.
With the exception of UC Berkeley, all campuses increased their offers of admission to out-of-state and international students. Systemwide, these numbers rose from 13,144 students last year to 18,846 for fall 2012.
It is important to note that this year’s jump in applicants from outside California means that the proportion of nonresidents admitted also declined. Moreover, non-California residents traditionally decline UC admission offers at a higher rate than do Californians, and the 10 percent systemwide cap on enrollment of non-Californian undergraduates will not be met this year.
These and other findings released on April 17 are based on a compilation of preliminary campus admissions data. They do not include transfer applicants, those on the wait list or others who received a referral admission to UC Merced.
“We have the capacity to educate many more students at our campuses,” said Kate Jeffery, UC’s interim director of undergraduate admissions. “What we don’t have is the funding to admit more California students. Nonetheless, we continue to honor the California Master Plan, finding a space at one of our campuses for all students who qualify for guaranteed admission.”
This year’s preliminary outcomes reflect modest increases in diversity, which follow the previously reported growth in diversity among the applicant pool. The proportion of African Americans, Chicano/Latinos, students from low-income families, those who will be the first in their families to attend college and students from low-performing high schools rose from last year.
See more details about the fall 2012 preliminary admissions outcomes, including an information summary as well as tables that offer detailed breakdowns by campus, residency and ethnicity.
