The University of California announced today (Feb. 8) that it is launching the Double the Pell campaign to urge Congress and the new federal administration to charter a more affordable pathway to higher education for America’s students and families.

The University of California announced today (Jan. 28) that the system received for fall 2021 admission the highest number of undergraduate applications in its history, even in the midst of a global pandemic. Highlights among California freshmen include a jump in overall applications and surges among African American and Chicano/Latino students, while California Community College transfer applications also grew by an impressive margin.

UC is a major contributor to the state’s vitality, generating $82 billion in economic activity per year and supporting 1 in 45 jobs.

The University is an essential economic engine for the state, supporting over half a million jobs and contributing to the economy in every region. 

The University of California announced today (Jan. 11) that it is planning for a return to primarily in-person instruction systemwide starting fall 2021, enabling prospective and current students as well as their families to understand our goal well in advance amid the uncertainties of the pandemic.

Gov. Newsom’s budget provides $136.3 million of new ongoing support to the University of California, including $103.9 million to partly restore the $300.8 million in reductions made last year to UC. The proposal also includes $32.4 million for ongoing targeted investments in other areas, such as expanding access for student mental health services and supporting UC Programs in Medical Education (UC PRIME), which combine specialized coursework and training experiences that allow future physicians to better support underserved populations.

The orderly transfer of power has been a hallmark of our American democracy for more than two centuries. The shocking display of lawless violence in the nation’s capital on January 6 was an horrific, and ultimately tragic, affront to our national dignity. The University of California cherishes the free speech right of the people “peaceably to assemble” to share their grievances. But that is not what occurred in Washington, D.C., yesterday. We must stand together — regardless of political party or point of view — to condemn the violence on Wednesday and to uphold, protect and defend our bedrock values.

Justice has prevailed once again. In solidarity with our students and the entire UC community, we are pleased that a federal judge today decisively ordered the federal government to fully restore the DACA program. This is a win for DACA recipients, their families, and for this country that has been so enriched by immigrants.

The University of California is disappointed that Proposition 16, the state ballot measure and constitutional amendment that would have repealed Proposition 209, did not pass in this election. Proposition 16 would have helped reverse the detrimental and far-reaching initiative that banned the consideration of race, ethnicity and gender in admissions across public higher education, and other arenas, almost a quarter-century ago.

University of California President Michael V. Drake, M.D., released today (Oct. 6) the statement below following the announcement of Nobel Prize winners in physics. UCLA’s Andrea Ghez, a Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Professor of Astrophysics, and UC Berkeley’s Reinhard Genzel, professor emeritus of physics and astronomy, and director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, have been honored with the 2020 Nobel Prize in physics. Ghez is the fourth woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics.

Don't miss this Oct. 5 event with UC election experts.

Winners will take home a $50K cash prize and get to network with industry leaders.