The University of California today (April 2) issued the initial systemwide overview of admission results for the class of 2002, the first admitted without consideration of race, ethnicity and gender.

Unlike individual campus reports, this overview presents "unduplicated" data, meaning that a student is counted only once, even though he or she may have been admitted to more than one UC campus.

The overview provides a comprehensive look at the number and demographic make-up of admitted students. It summarizes admissions data released by UC's eight general campuses over the past month, culminating with figures issued earlier this week by the Berkeley and UCLA campuses. A full and accurate picture of the fall 1998 freshman class, however, will emerge only after May 1, the deadline for students to notify the campus at which they plan to enroll.

A total of 44,393 high school seniors were admitted to UC for next fall, representing the largest group of admitted students in UC history. The figures also show a decline systemwide in the number of underrepresented students, defined as African-Americans, American Indians, and Chicanos and Latinos; however, the decline is not as large as might be inferred from data released earlier by several UC campuses -- an indication that the university's efforts to urge students to apply to more than one campus this year were successful.

"The admissions and enrollment process is not over, and it is too soon to judge the final outcome," UC President Richard C. Atkinson said. "But I want to emphasize that by mid-April all eligible California high school graduates will be offered a place at one of our campuses. Each campus offers an outstanding undergraduate education, and I strongly encourage all eligible students to attend the University of California."

"We are extremely proud of the students admitted for the UC class of 2002," Atkinson continued, "but we also view the decrease in underrepresented students as a source of great

concern for the university, as it should be for all of California. We can address this in a number of ways. The only real answers, however, are long-term answers: revitalized K-12 schools, involved parents and communities that refuse to settle for anything less than an outstanding education for their children."

The most pronounced change in the admissions data from last year was the number of admitted students who declined to state an ethnic identity, which increased from 2,181 in 1997 to 6,346 this year. For this reason, systemwide data are presented in two ways -- with and without the decline-to-state numbers included in the total. Table 1 presents the data with the "decline-to-state" numbers included, and Table 2 with these numbers excluded. (See Tables 1 and 2. )

With the "decline-to-state" results included in the total, there are decreases in all categories. Underrepresented minority students account for 15.4 percent of all admitted students this year compared with 17.6 percent last year. White students admitted this year represent 36.3 percent of all admitted students compared with 41.2 percent last year; and Asian-American students represent 32.5 percent of all admits compared with 33.6 percent last year. Table 1 provides a more detailed breakdown of these data.

Excluding the "decline-to-state" results in the total, underrepresented minority students account for 18.0 percent of all admitted students this year compared with 18.5 percent last year. White students represent 42.3 percent of the total this year and 43.5 percent last year. Asian-Americans students make up 37.9 percent of all admitted students this year and 35.4 percent last year. Table 2 provides a more detailed breakdown of these data.

These data (unduplicated admits) suggest that the proportion of underrepresented minority students in the total pool of admits to the UC system is not down as much as earlier campus estimates had suggested. So, at this stage, it is possible that when the admissions process is completed in May, the number of underrepresented minority students in the systemwide entering class will not show a dramatic drop. However, the admissions process is very complex, involving the individual choices of thousands of students and their families, and it is impossible to make predictions about the final outcome with any level of certainty.

An alternate way of analyzing these data is to compute the percent change for each group from 1997 to 1998. African-American admits declined from 1,509 to 1,243 (17.6 percent);

Latinos from 1,520 to 1,325 (12.9 percent); Chicanos from 4,165 to 3,969 (4.7 percent); and American Indians from 336 to 318 (5.4 percent). The number of white students decreased from 17,680 to 16,109 (8.9 percent) and Asian-American students stayed essentially constant at 14,427.

A number of students, though fully eligible to attend UC, have not been admitted by the campuses to which they applied. By the middle of April these applicants will be invited to attend one of the UC campuses, which currently are contacting admitted students and their families -- especially those from underrepresented groups -- and encouraging them to accept offers of admission.

Dennis Galligani, UC associate vice president for student academic services, said that, "Typically, about 60 percent of admitted students ultimately enroll at UC, and campuses are working hard to exceed that level for the fall 1998 class."

Galligani cautioned against basing firm conclusions on campus admission results because the overall process of admission and enrollment is not complete. Results at individual campuses and for the UC system as whole may change significantly by the time campuses enroll students in the fall, he said.

"What we have now are admission numbers, not final enrollment results," Galligani said.

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