UC sees rise in number of applicants

More than 106,000 students applied to the University of
California for admission for fall 2006, according to data released
Tuesday, marking another year of steady increase in the size of the
UC application pool.

Of these 106,784 students, 60,291 applied to UCLA, and the total
number of UC applicants increased 6.6 percent compared to last
year, when 100,137 students applied for admission.

While the overall number of applicants and freshman applicants
increased for every campus, transfer applications decreased at all
campuses except UC Berkeley. Freshman applications increased in all
areas, with the most significant increase seen in international
freshman applications, which grew 16.1 percent.

But the number that UC Undergraduate Admissions Director Susan
Wilbur most wanted to highlight was the amount of applicants from
California public high schools, which increased by 8.4 percent.
This year, 16.4 percent of public high school seniors planning to
graduate applied to the UC.

Wilber said this increase was an indication that “some
good things are happening in California schools,” and that
“more students are prepared for college and appear to
understand the value of a college education.”

The numbers for UCLA are for the most part consistent with those
for the UC as a whole.

Thomas Lifka, assistant vice chancellor of student academic
services, said the higher number of applicants will not affect the
overall enrollment at UCLA.

“Our target is slightly different from last year for
freshmen, but that’s because more students are graduating
faster. As more students graduate faster, we can admit more through
the front door. … We are not planning any growth,” he
said.

Wilbur said the overall statistics were pleasing.

“The preliminary picture for fall 2006 is very positive
for the UC,” she said. “This particular application
pool suggests that we continue to make progress in attracting a
broad … cross section of California.”

The increase of 8.4 percent in freshman applicants from public
high schools exceeds the Department of Finance’s projected
increase of 3.4 percent in 2006.

The report also showed an increase in the number of applicants
from all racial and ethnic groups. The groups with the highest
increase were Asian American, black and Chicano/a students.

Lifka said the increase was expected in Asian American,
Chicano/a and Latino/a applicants because they are a growing
portion of the high school graduate group. He said it was
gratifying that the number of black applicants went up, though
their numbers in the high school graduate group are not
increasing.

Anu Joshi, University of California Student Association
president, believes that while the increase in minority applicants
is significant, improvements still need to be made.

“Of course it’s important … that we have an
increasing number of applicants across ethnic lines, but the
disparity continues to exist between the number of students
applying and their actual percentage of the population. … This
also speaks for why academic preparation programs are so
important,” she said.

The report showed the percentage of UC applicants from
low-income families did not change considerably from last year,
while the percentage of first generation college students increased
slightly. The number of applicants from specific geographical
regions remained the same, with approximately two-thirds of
applicants coming from Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and
Orange County.

The academic factors did not reflect much change from past
years. UC Berkeley and UCLA consistently show higher numbers than
the other UC campuses.

Joshi said this is something she hopes will change.

“I think it can be improved (so) that Berkeley and UCLA
aren’t completely out of the ballpark compared to other
campuses,” she said.

Overall, Wilbur said, the statistics are very positive and
reflect the amount of time that the UC has spent working with
students, families and counselors.

“The outcomes of a UC education are also well-known. We
have an exceptionally high graduation rate, … one of the highest
in the nation for students who are attending public
universities,” she said.

Wilbur also noted that the addition of the UC Merced campus has
contributed to the increase in applicants.

With reports from Sara Taylor, Bruin senior staff.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *