The University of California (UC) announced on July 31 that it has admitted its “largest and most diverse class” to date.
According to the University’s Office of the President, it admitted a record 166,706 students (137,200 first-year and 29,506 transfer students) for Fall 2024. This included 93,920 first-year admission offers to California students, up 4.3 percent (3,867) from last year.
This surge reflects the demands of the state government and residents to expand admission opportunities for California students. Compared to a decade ago, the number of incoming freshmen from California has risen by a staggering 31,400.
According to the school, the admission rate for first-year California residents increased from 68 percent last year to 70 percent this year.
The acceptance rate for California applicants also improved, climbing from 68% last year to 70% this year.
In terms of racial demographics, Hispanic students represent 39% of the new freshmen, continuing their five-year streak as the largest student group. They are followed by Asian students (33%), white students (18%), Black students (6%), and American Indian students (1%). However, looking at campus-specific data, Asians were the most accepted students in eight of the nine campuses, with the exception of Merced.
The number of Korean freshmen has increased by 83 from last year, reaching 2,956. Including transfer students (589), a total of 3,646 Korean students will be starting in the fall, an increase of 111 from the previous year. Among Asian admits, Koreans rank fifth, following Chinese (11,957), Indian/Pakistani (8,091), Vietnamese (6,203), and Filipino (5,944) students.
For the first time, UC has disclosed gender identity data for incoming students. The Merced campus shows the most balanced gender ratio with 49% female and 46% male students. Across the UC system, 55% of students are female, but the percentage of male students drops to 37% at six campuses (Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, LA, San Diego, Santa Barbara). Additionally, 5% of all students identify as different identity/unknown or non-binary.
Moreover, 41% of accepted freshmen from California come from low-income families, and 43% are the first in their family to attend college.
“These admissions numbers demonstrate the University of California’s commitment to expanding opportunity and access, especially for historically underrepresented groups, who comprise the largest-ever share of first-year students,” said UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D. “We’re setting more California students on the path to a college degree and future success, and that translates to positive impact on communities throughout the state.”
BY NICOLE CHANG, YOUNGNAM KIM [chang.nicole@koreadaily.com]
