University of California admits record number of Californians in fall 2024, while UC Berkeley sees its first class of black and Latino freshmen drop after U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action He joined UCLA to buck a national trend among elite institutions to do so.
The data, released Tuesday, comes as the nine-division campus system faces intense public pressure to admit more Californians and a long ban on public universities considering race. The announcement comes amid swirling speculation about how that racial makeup will work in the state. and gender at the time of enrollment.
A total of 198,718 Californians enrolled for the academic year starting in the fall at the system’s undergraduate campuses, which stretch from Davis to San Diego. Of the 236,070 undergraduate students, 84.2% were California residents, compared to 83.5% the previous year.
Among them were 60,644 first-year and transfer students from the state. The number of California residents in this category increased at six campuses. The largest increase was at the University of California, San Diego, from 8,436 to 8,907.
“The University of California is committed to expanding access and opportunity to help the state’s brightest students of all backgrounds realize the value and promise of a UC degree,” University of California President Michael V. Drake said in a statement. I’m working hard,” he said. “These enrollment numbers reflect the state’s investment in California students and the dedication of our staff, faculty, and campus leaders to providing a world-class education.”
However, enrollment declined at three California campuses. At Irvine, the number of California undergraduate first-year and transfer students decreased from 7,848 to 7,541. In Riverside, the number of cases decreased from 6,390 to 6,371. In Merced, the number of cases decreased from 2,610 to 2,283. Despite the decline, the University of California’s newest campus, Merced University, has a large influx from Southern California, with nearly 99 percent of its undergraduate population hailing from California.
The number of out-of-state and international students continues to decline, accounting for 37,352 (15.8%) of the undergraduate student body, a decrease of more than 1 percentage point from fall 2023.
In recent years, the University of California has faced calls to award additional seats to Californians. After funding cuts during the Great Recession, the school began attracting more out-of-state students who pay higher tuition. In response to criticism, it admitted thousands more California undergraduates in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years. Leaders say they hope to continue adding about 3,000 California students each year through 2026-27 under an “agreement” with the governor’s office.
racial diversity
Across UC campuses, total undergraduate enrollment for most races and ethnicities increased. Asian Americans made up the largest group at 36.3% of undergraduate students. Latinos came in second place, growing to 26.7% of the system. White students saw a slight decrease to 19.8%. Black students accounted for 4.8% of enrollment, increasing by 494 students to 11,257. The percentage of Native Americans increased slightly at 0.6%, while the number of Pacific Islanders remained about the same at 0.2%.
Racial and ethnic groups in first-grade classes and transfers also showed increases among Asian American, Black, and Native American students. The number of Latino first-year and transfer students decreased slightly from 19,504 to 19,418, and the number of white students also decreased from 14,305 to 14,172.
The increase in newly admitted black students (total of first-year and transfer students from 3,412 to 3,532) is a trend seen at many elite campuses in the United States, where the number of black first-year students declined after the Supreme Court decision. On the contrary, it was noteworthy. In 2023, affirmative action in university admissions was declared unconstitutional.
While the decision will first affect U.S. students who enrolled last fall, it will only affect a small number of the most selective U.S. universities, where admissions are fiercely competitive.
UCLA and Berkeley, UC’s two most selective campuses, often compare in admissions policies and rates because they tend to compete with elite private and public universities.
At Berkeley, which has an enrollment rate of 11%, the number of black new students increased by seven in the fall, bringing the total to 400 (4.4% of the class). Asian American students decreased by 17 students to 3,698, representing 41.1% of the first-year student body. The number of Latino students decreased by 55 to 1,971, but their percentage of the class increased to 21.9%.
According to final data, UCLA admitted 33 more black students in 2024 than the previous year, for a total of 717 students, representing 6.9% of first-year and transfer students. The number of Asian Americans increased by 37 to 3,523, accounting for 33.7% of new arrivals. Latino students increased by 96 students to 2,584 students, making up 24.7% of first-year and transfer students. UCLA’s admission rate was 9%.
Of the 37 major U.S. universities that have released enrollment data for fall 2024, 30 have seen a decline in Black students, and 23 have lost Black students, according to a tracker by Education Reform Now, a nonpartisan nonprofit education organization. The number of Latino students at the school has decreased.
Last fall, the number of black students enrolled at Johns Hopkins was down 66.1% compared to the average of the previous two years, and the number of Latino students was down 51.2%. Over the same period, the same groups experienced declines of 64.3% and 26.7%, respectively, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and 37.5% and 11.8%, respectively, at Stanford University.
Pomona College, the University of Southern California, and Harvard University also saw enrollment declines for black students, but increases for Latino students. Yale University and Northwestern University saw increased enrollment of Black and Latino students in new classes last fall.
Pell Grant
Tuesday’s data also showed the number of low-income UC students is increasing for the second year. The number of students receiving federal Pell grants had declined in the years leading up to 2023. In 2024, an additional 7,180 students received grants, for a total of 85,772 across the system.
Pell grants do not have to be repaid and are given to students from families with the lowest incomes or least ability to pay for college. The maximum Pell Grant amount for 2024-2025 is $7,395.
Han Mi Yoon Woo, Systemwide Vice President for Undergraduate Admissions, said in a statement that admissions data shows there are many paths to securing a spot at the University of California.
“The students behind these numbers come from every corner of California, proving that there are many paths to a UC education,” she said. “The University of California is committed to making the University of California accessible to talented students.”
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