Subject: Fall 2001 Applications

The University of California today (Jan. 30) is issuing data on the numbers of applications it has received for freshman and transfer admission for fall 2001. The data tables are available here.

Students who apply to multiple campuses are included in the application counts for each campus in the attached tables. However, unless otherwise noted, the systemwide totals used below and in the tables are "unduplicated," meaning that each student is counted only once.

A brief summary of the data follows.

UC APPLICATIONS ARE AT A RECORD HIGH. UC received a record 91,904 applications for freshman and transfer admission in fall 2001, compared to 85,818 for fall 2000 (Table 1). Applications from California students for freshman admission increased 7.9 percent, from 54,146 for fall 2000 to 58,424 for fall 2001. This compares to an increase of 2.5 percent between fall 1999 and fall 2000. Applications increased at all campuses, led by UC Santa Cruz at 22.1 percent and UC Irvine at 19 percent (Tables 1 and 4). TRANSFER APPLICATIONS FROM CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS INCREASED 5.5 PERCENT. These applications increased from 13,710 for fall 2000 to 14,468 for fall 2001. This compares to an increase of 0.1 percentage point between fall 1999 and fall 2000. Transfer applications increased at all campuses (Table 6). ALL ETHNIC GROUPS SHOWED GAINS IN FRESHMAN APPLICATIONS. Among California freshman applicants, the number of applications from each ethnic category increased, both systemwide and by campus. Systemwide, applications increased 16.2 percent among Chicanos, from 5,878 to 6,828; 12.4 percent among Filipino Americans, from 2,690 to 3,024; 11.4 percent among African Americans, from 2,174 to 2,421; 9.6 percent among Latinos, from 1,936 to 2,122; 6.9 percent among Asian Americans, from 14,920 to 15,943; 5.2 percent among white/other applicants, from 21,944 to 23,082; and 2.2 percent among American Indians, from 360 to 368. Applications on which an applicant’s ethnicity was missing increased 9.2 percent, from 4,244 to 4,636 (Tables 3 and 4). Among California Community College transfer applicants, the number of applications from each ethnic category increased systemwide, except for white/other. Applications increased 42.6 percent among American Indians, from 101 to 144; 17.9 percent among Chicanos, from 1,402 to 1,653; 16.7 percent among African Americans, from 414 to 483; 9.3 percent among Asian Americans, from 2,943 to 3,216; 8.7 percent among Latinos, from 552 to 600; and 6.1 percent among Filipino Americans, from 477 to 506. White/other applicants decreased 1.4 percent, from 6,644 to 6,548, while applications on which an applicant’s ethnicity was missing increased 12 percent, from 1,177 to 1,318 (Table 6). Note: These figures differ slightly when all transfer applications from California are counted, not just those from California Community College students (see Table 3). More than 80 percent of California transfer applications are from California Community College students, who are the focus of UC’s efforts to increase transfers. NUMBERS OF APPLICATIONS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY STUDENTS ARE AT A RECORD HIGH. UC received the largest number of California freshman applications ever (11,739) from underrepresented minority students – African Americans, American Indians, Chicanos and Latinos (Tables 3 and 4). Note: Applications are at a record high for each of these groups individually, except for American Indians. GROWTH IN UC APPLICATIONS IS OUTPACING GROWTH IN THE HIGH SCHOOL POPULATION. Applications to UC from California public high school seniors increased 7.4 percent, outpacing the projected 2.5 percent growth in California public high school graduates this year. This pattern held true for all ethnic categories (Table 5). ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF STUDENTS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR UC UNDER THE "ELIGIBILITY IN THE LOCAL CONTEXT" PROGRAM DID APPLY. These students accounted for about 15 percent of all California freshman applicants. The ELC program, now in its first year of implementation, grants UC eligibility to the top 4 percent of students in each of the state’s high schools. Further analysis will be necessary to determine how many of these students were already UC-eligible under the university’s statewide criteria and how many became eligible to apply solely through the ELC program. ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS GAINED IN POPULARITY. UC received 28,330 applications electronically through the university’s online "Pathways" system this year, a 50 percent increase over last year.

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