Despite the ongoing national recession and increases in student fees, the outcomes of the fall 2010 admissions cycle show that the University of California remains attractive and accessible to a large number of well-prepared and diverse students.

At the freshman level, UC increased the overall academic quality of the incoming class, maintained access for disadvantaged students and increased the proportion of students who are underrepresented, while still reducing enrollments closer to budgeted levels.

Among transfers, UC continued to experience enrollment growth, maintained quality and increased diversity among all groups. In fact, UC's ongoing effort to increase enrollment of community college transfers exceeded the university's expectations — a mixed blessing at a time when the university is trying to reduce overall enrollment.
The following summary highlights key data from fall 2010 Statements of Intent to Register (SIRs) at the freshman and transfer levels:

• Freshman SIRs: UC has received 34,116 Statements of Intent to Register from California resident freshmen. This figure represents a slight decline compared with last year. Because not all students who submit SIRs end up enrolling at UC, it is too early to determine with certainty whether UC will reach its freshman target of approximately 33,000 new freshmen.
• Transfer SIRs: UC has received 15,718 Statements of Intent to Register from California resident community college transfers, an increase of nearly 2,000 compared with last year. The unexpectedly high number of transfer students who accepted UC's offer of admission means the university likely will exceed the transfer target set for fall 2010.

UC's diversity continues to increase

• Freshmen: In 2010, 42.5 percent of UC's projected freshmen come from families where neither parent has a four-year college degree.  More than 42 percent are from low-income families, and underrepresented minorities comprise nearly 28 percent of the projected incoming class. The largest increase for underrepresented students came from Chicano-Latinos, who now make up 23.1 percent of UC's new freshmen, up from 20.9 percent. African Americans also had a slight proportional increase, from 3.8 to 3.9 of the incoming freshman class. Native Americans increased from .6 percent to .8 percent.

Although these numbers are smaller than what UC would like, they show that the university continues to make strides toward enrolling a freshman class that is more broadly reflective of California's diversity.

• Transfers: More than half of UC's community college transfer SIRs are from first-generation college students, more than 41 percent come from low-income families and 24 percent are from underrepresented minority groups. All underrepresented student groups registered increases as a proportion of the projected incoming class.  Latinos make up 18.5 percent of the projected transfer class, up from 18.3 percent in 2009; African Americans, 4.1 percent, up from 3.4 percent; and American Indians, 1.1 percent, up from 1 percent.

Academic qualifications remain high

• UC continues to attract both freshman and transfer students with strong academic backgrounds. Grade point averages increased for both groups, from 3.82 in 2009 to 3.83 in 2010 for freshmen, and from 3.32 to 3.35 for transfers.

A comprehensive set of tables summarizing all fall 2010 admissions outcomes is online.