UCLA received fewer freshman applications than last year for admission in fall 2019, according to data released Tuesday.

The number of applicants decreased by about 2 percent, from 113,695 in 2018 to 111,266 in 2019, according to preliminary data released by the University of California Office of the President. Other UC schools, such as UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, experienced similar declines in their number of applicants. This is the first time in 15 years that applications to the UC system have dropped, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

The number of applications from out-of-state students rose by about 1 percent while the number of California applicants fell by almost 3 percent. The number of international applications also fell by almost 4 percent.

Gary Clark, the director for undergraduate admission, said he thinks the decrease in applications could be attributed to students becoming more selective about how many schools they apply to.

“We’re not looking for an increase in volume of applicants,” he said. “We care more about the richness and diversity of our applicant pool.”

Nicolette Khalifian, a first-year psychobiology student, said she thinks the decrease could have long-term effects on UCLA’s brand, as the university markets its high number of applicants as a selling point to prospective students.

“I don’t think it affects us as students at all – we don’t notice a 2 percent decrease. But … (UCLA) takes pride in the amount of applicants they have,” she said. “Taking that away is one less thing to brag about.”

 

Published by Teddy Rosenbluth

Rosenbluth is the assistant News editor for the Science and Health beat. She was previously a News contributor for the science and health beat. She is a third-year psychobiology student who loves learning about evolutionary biology and neuroscience.

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5 Comments

  1. May be it is because at last the California students have decided not to waste money on UC applications as UCs are inclined to accept more students from out of state compared to the California kids whose families have spent $$$ in taxes!!! The UC acceptance system has been broken for a while and no sign they will fix it in near future…

    1. Meanwhile out-of-state kids pay their state taxes plus UC full tuition. Maybe that’s a reason?

  2. For Californians, why bother competing against the others for freshmen year when it is almost guaranteed admission into UCLA, Cal or other UCs in two years as juniors after graduating from community colleges? This is why it is not surprising the number of in-state applications decreased. Afterall, the degree and the resume for someone entering as a freshmen and a transfer look the same.

    1. I’m curious, as my two sons both applied and are transferring from the SRJC but one got in and the other didn’t. My son that didn’t had gotten two AA’s one in math and the other computer science and my older son had more years at the JC but got accepted. Grades were both the same. Do you know why that would happen.

      1. 1) Depends on what Major they were trying to get in under, were they both the same? Some fields are far more impacted than others.
        2) Essay. Did they both write compelling essays? How that affects potential students I understand is greatly understated.

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