Indicator 3.5.3
Number and proportion of dependent undergraduate students by family income, Universitywide, 1999-2000, 2004-05 and 2009-10
| Family income (inflation adjusted) | 1999–00 | 2004–05 | 2009–10 | 1999–00 distribution | 2004–05 distribution | 2009–10 distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 to $50k | 33,513 | 42,730 | 53,961 | 29% | 30% | 34% |
| $50k to $99k | 30,078 | 35,771 | 37,415 | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| $99k to $149k | 27,026 | 31,192 | 28,423 | 24% | 22% | 18% |
| More than $149k | 23,281 | 32,642 | 40,454 | 20% | 23% | 25% |
UC tuition and fees have increased 32 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars during the past decade. At the same time, the proportion of students from low- and high-income families has grown, while the proportion from middle- incomes families has declined.
The growth in the proportion of students from low-income families is made possible by the combination of federal, state and institutional aid that is available to UC students.
The decline in the proportion of students from middle-income families may be caused by a number of factors. It will be the subject of more intensive analysis in the coming years as the University watches this trend. It may be caused by a general decline in the proportion of middle-income families in California, from whom UC draws 41 percent of its undergraduate students. Evidence may exist in the fact that middle-income applications have declined even though middle-income admit rates and middle-income yield rates have followed the trends for other income groups.
Alternatively, the decline in applications from students of middle-income families, leading to proportionally fewer enrollments, could be due to middle-class families perceiving that UC is no longer affordable (the net cost of attending UC has increased by $4,300 between 1999-2000 and 2009-10).
You may view or download a table of the raw data used to generate these charts in CSV files, which can be opened in spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice.