UCLA, which was again the most applied-to university in the
nation this year, admitted 12,094 students out of a pool of 47,258
freshman applicants, according to data released Wednesday.
The admitted students make up about 25 percent of the applicant
pool, and officials said UCLA plans to enroll about 4,625.
The University of California system also accepted a record
number of freshman applicants for fall 2006, admitting 55,242
California students.
As total admissions have increased, so has the number of
students admitted to the UC as a whole from every ethnic
minority.
But at UCLA, though 1,204 more underrepresented minority
students applied than in 2005, there were 63 fewer admitted this
year.
There has been anxiety over whether the UC can accommodate the
increase of 5,225 California students to the UC over last year, but
UC Director of Undergraduate Admissions Susan Wilbur said all
campuses have been funded for the additional student
population.
Wilbur said in the national context, where students across the
board have had difficulty getting admitted to colleges, the
UC’s ability to admit 5,225 more California students is a
particularly important accomplishment.
She said this was in part due to the new UC Merced campus, which
opened in the San Joaquin valley last year and admitted 6,076
California students for its second class, as well as the increased
effort being put into UC outreach programs.
Another reason for the increased class size is that students are
graduating from college faster, making more space for a larger
freshman class, said Thomas Lifka, UCLA vice chancellor of student
affairs.
“Student culture has changed. Students used to take longer
to complete college, but now they are getting through much
quicker,” Lifka said.
He said some factors contributing to this are the increasing
cost of higher education, high school students entering college
more academically prepared, and more strict academic progress
rules.
“It has been a goal for the entire state to get students
graduating faster so that universities can accommodate the growing
numbers of applicants,” Lifka said.
The increase in admissions is expected to allow an increasing
number of California high school students to attend UC schools. The
10.4 percent growth rate of UC admissions is well ahead of the 3.4
percent growth rate of California’s high school graduating
classes.
The data also showed that the relatively low admission of
minority students to UCLA has remained steady. According to the
California Department of Education, the total proportion of
Hispanic 12th graders in California is 39.4 percent. But black,
Latino, Chicana/o and Native American students together make up
only 14.3 percent of UCLA’s 2006 freshman admits
combined.
Out of 12,094 UCLA admits, 230 were black, 1,391 were Latino or
Chicana/o and 48 were Native American.
The percentage of admission of California blacks, Latinos,
Chicana/os and Native Americans rose in the UC overall, but to some
students these numbers are still unsatisfactory.
Undergraduate Students Association Council President Jenny Wood
said she found the report’s findings prove that admission
policies must be reviewed.
“When we live in such a culturally diverse area, the low
numbers of underrepresented students are totally
unacceptable,” said Wood.
Ruth Obel-Jorgensen, organizing director of University of
California Students Association, also said she believed action
needs to be taken on the issue.
“Only 21.7 percent of the (California resident) UC admits
are from (underrepresented) minority groups. These numbers are not
reflective of California’s population, and that has to
change,” Obel-Jorgensen said.
The percentage of white California resident admits showed a 2
percent decrease from last year.
Wilbur said this was not surprising.
“The decline in white admits … parallels the decrease in
white applicants,” Wilbur said. “White students are
declining as a percent of public high school graduates, and this
trend is expected to continue.”
UCLA’s admit class also showed improved academic
qualifications. Average GPA rose to 4.27 from 4.25 the previous
year, and the average SAT score was 2,009, out of a possible 2,400.
Students also took an average of almost 19 honors and AP
courses.