UC class size sees increase

DAVIS, Calif. (U-WIRE) - In an effort to provide high-quality education to the state's top high school students, the University of California system has offered admission to 75 percent of all first-year applicants for fall 1999.

The University admitted nearly 47,000 students, an 8.1 percent increase from last fall. More than 90 percent of the admitted students are California residents.

Applicants who submitted multiple applications and were offered admission to their preferred campus received at least one additional offer from another campus.

Additionally, as part of the University's referral process, applicants who did not receive an admission offer to their preferred campus and did not apply to another campus will be offered admission somewhere within the UC system.

"The university's commitment to accommodating all eligible students ensures that the majority of applicants are successful in UC's admission process," said UC President Richard Atkinson in a written statement. "At the completion of the process, nearly all eligible high school graduates who applied will benefit from the educational experience offered by the world's best public university system."

System-wide, the number of students from underrepresented ethnic groups admitted for fall 1999 increased by 9 percent, from 6,222 to 7,439. The number of Chicano/a students admitted increased by 8.9 percent, from 3,946 to 4,297, African Americans by 11.4 percent, from 1,248 to 1,390 and Latino/as by 11 percent, from 1,312 to 1,456. But, the number of Native American students admitted declined from 316 to 296, a 6.3-percent drop.

The number of white students admitted system-wide increased by 22.6 percent from 16,016 to 19,634. Asian American students admitted also showed an increase of 13.5 percent from 13,697 to 15,415. Nearly 57 percent of admitted students are female.

"Due to many immediate outreach efforts and evolving campus admissions processes that look at students in a more comprehensive manner, it appears that declines in the number of admitted underrepresented students is leveling off across the system," Atkinson said in the release. "Now the University can concentrate on expanding the pool of UC-eligible students from all backgrounds through our outreach efforts and partnerships with schools."

To encourage students from low-income families to enroll at UC, Atkinson is sending out a personal letter reinforcing the value of a UC education, as well as the availability of financial aid. Almost one-third of UC undergraduates are members of households with annual incomes of less than $30,000.

UC-Davis Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Carol Wall said the UC has taken more aggressive steps in recent years to ensure all qualified students a spot somewhere within the UC system.

"As we have moved into this growth phase, we're working hard to continue this practice of ensuring eligible students admission and making it a very public commitment," she said. "Consequently, where we might have said in the past that there is space somewhere in the system for every eligible student, we have taken other steps in recent years, encouraging students to apply to more campuses - UC Riverside, in particular, has been very aggressive in offering admission to eligible students turned down at other campuses."

Gary Tudor, UCD director of undergraduate admission and outreach, said approximately 14,000 first-year students and 3,200 transfer students were admitted to UCD for next fall. Tudor noted that although there was an increase in the number of white, Asian and East Indian students admitted, overall there is "good representation from all ethnic groups."

Additionally, compared to fall 1998, the number of first-year students admitted to UCD for next fall increased by 600, while the number of transfer students increased by 100. Tudor explained these increases as a result of the system-wide growth expected to occur throughout the upcoming years.

"The chancellors and (UC) president are meeting now to discuss capacity issues with the knowledge that student demand will increase fairly significantly in the future," he said. In order to prepare for the expected growth, Wall said UCD has established an enrollment management work group that includes both the chancellor and provost, as well as various other campus community members to "make sure all the pieces necessary for successful growth are in place."

04-15-99