Accountability Report 2019

chapter one: undergraduate students: admissions and enrollment

chapter spotlight

Sequoia Thompson recalls watching the sun rise day after day as she drove the Metro No. 2 bus along Sunset Boulevard from downtown Los Angeles to Westwood. When Thompson would pull into UCLA, she would park the bus and walk to Ackerman Union to get something to eat, envious of all the people she saw on their way to lectures and labs.

“It was so hard because I really wanted to go back to school,” said Thompson, whose educational career got sidetracked by working through gender identity and sexuality issues, uncertainty about studying psychology and working to support herself financially. “I thought my life choices had made it impossible. UCLA was something that I didn’t even think was possible for me.”

But after working several years in a variety of jobs, Thompson made it to UCLA. The now 33-year-old graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in LGBTQ studies.

Goals

One of the University of California’s highest priorities is to ensure that a UC education remains accessible to all Californians who meet its admissions standards. This goal is articulated in California’s Master Plan for Higher Education, which calls for UC to admit all eligible freshmen and transfers, with freshman eligibility designed to capture the top 12.5 percent of California public high school graduates. It also calls for UC to admit all qualified transfer students from California Community Colleges (CCCs).

Of the over 223,000 applications for admission in fall 2018, over 182,000 students applied as freshmen and over 41,000 as transfers. Campus admission decisions are based on a comprehensive review of qualifications and establish the incoming California resident class size based on state funding. Over the last four years, UC’s enrollment of California residents increased by more than 14,000: 3,000 in fall 2018, 4,000 in fall 2017, and 7,000 in the prior two years combined.

For 2018–19, UC is also estimated to have achieved its goal of enrolling a 2:1 ratio of freshmen to transfer California resident undergraduates, excluding Merced, for the second year in a row. The UC Transfer Pathways program supports this goal by helping community college students prepare for transfer admission to the most popular majors at UC campuses. Under a new agreement with the California Community Colleges, UC is building on the Transfer Pathways to create a Transfer Guarantee program for community college students who meet certain criteria.

Admissions — freshmen

UC utilizes a comprehensive review process to make admission decisions, considering not only completion of rigorous college preparatory courses, high school GPA, and standardized test scores, but also talents, special projects, accomplishments in light of life experiences and circumstances, extracurricular activities, and community service.

The rapid growth in freshman applications to UC over the past two decades demonstrates the increased demand for college education, the growth of California’s population, and UC’s continued popularity. UC continues to reach its Master Plan goals by guaranteeing admission to California resident applicants who are either in the top nine percent of high school graduates statewide or the top nine percent of graduates from their own high schools. Qualified freshman applicants are offered an opportunity to be admitted to another UC campus if they do not receive an offer of admission from the UC campuses where they applied.

Admissions — transfers

UC’s Transfer Pathways identify a common set of lower-division courses for each of the 21 most popular majors among transfer applicants. The Transfer Pathways present a clear roadmap for prospective transfers to prepare for their majors and be well positioned to graduate in a timely fashion from any UC campus. In fall 2018, the second year of the Transfer Pathways, those indicating Pathway-based preparation represented 52 percent of all CCC admits and 52 percent of all CCC enrollees. Many of these students also participated in other preparatory programs such as Transfer Admissions Guaranteed (TAG) and Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC).

Transfer Pathways Majors​
Anthropology Computer Science Mechanical Engineering
Biochemistry Economics Molecular Biology
Biology Electrical Engineering Philosophy
Business Administration English Physics
Cell Biology Film and Media Studies Political Science
Chemistry History Psychology
Communication Mathematics Sociology

In April 2018, UC signed an agreement with the California Community Colleges (CCCs) to guarantee a place within the UC system to students who complete one of the Transfer Pathways and achieve the requisite grade point average (GPA). Almost all transfer students enter UC as upper-division juniors. Campus enrollment targets are based on state funding as well as capacity in major programs at the upper-division level. Fall 2018 marked the largest class of transfer entrants (1.1.2).

Enrollments

The University enrolled 222,000 undergraduates in fall 2018. The University enrolls freshman and transfer students from almost every county of California. UC’s Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) policy is designed to increase the overall geographic diversity of freshman entrants. This goal was also addressed as a recommendation in the University’s 2014 Transfer Action Team report.

Undergraduate Enrollment, Fall 2018
New Freshmen: 46,684
New Transfers/Other: 21,170
Continuing Students: 154,639
Total: 222,493
Source: UC Data Warehouse. Other types of new students include those enrolling for a second baccalaureate or with limited status (not seeking a bachelor’s degree).

As academic qualifications have improved over the last decade, UC has maintained access for populations historically underserved by higher education. In fall 2018, 36 percent of new undergraduates received Pell Grants, a marker for low-income status. About 41 percent of UC’s entering students are first-generation, meaning neither parent graduated from a four-year college. These students are more likely to be from an underrepresented group (URG), to have a first language other than English, to enter as a transfer student, to be female, and/or to have a lower income than students with at least one parent who graduated from a four-year college (1.2.1).

The share of all undergraduates who are nonresident domestic and international students has increased in recent years, though their proportion is still much lower than at comparable public research universities. In 2017-18, the share of new undergraduates paying nonresident tuition went up slightly, after a drop in 2016-17. In May 2017, UC adopted a policy affirming that nonresident undergraduates “will continue to be enrolled in addition to, rather than in place of, funded California undergraduates at each campus.” The policy also capped nonresident enrollment at 18 percent for five UC campuses (Davis, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz) and, for the remaining four campuses (Berkeley, Irvine, Los Angeles, and San Diego), at the proportion each campus enrolled in 2017-18. The policy went into effect for the 2018-19 academic year.

Having California students learn and live alongside students from backgrounds and cultures different from their own is part of a world-class educational experience. California students also benefit from the extra tuition paid by nonresident undergraduates, which is about $29,000 more per year than the amount paid by residents. That tuition helps to fund faculty hires, instructional technology, student advising, and other services that directly benefit California students.
Admissions and enrollment trends

Freshman applicants have nearly tripled over the past two decades, averaging six percent growth per year. In fall 2018, the number of applicants increased six percent compared to the previous year, while the number of students admitted went up two percent and the number of enrollees went up one percent (1.1.1).

Fall transfer applicants more than doubled over the last 20 years, with average annual growth of four percent. In fall 2018, transfer applicants and admits both increased by seven percent compared to the previous year, while enrollees went up five percent (1.1.2).

The Master Plan specifies that the University maintain a 60:40 ratio of upper-division to lower-division students, which corresponds to a 2:1 ratio of new California resident freshmen to new California resident transfers. UC has moved from 2.3:1 in recent years, to 2.1:1 in 2017–18, to an estimated 2.0:1 in 2018–19 (Universitywide). The Universitywide ratio (excluding Merced) is estimated to be 1.9:1 for 2018–19, achieving the systemwide goal for this metric for a second year. The University continues to work toward achieving this ratio for each campus (except Merced) (1.1.3).

Overall undergraduate enrollment (new and continuing students) continued to grow in fall 2018. Total enrollment was over 222,000 in fall 2018, up three percent from the year before. This includes an increase in California residents of over 3,000, following increases of over 7,000 in fall 2016 and over 4,000 in fall 2017 (1.1.4).

Academic preparation

Freshmen entering UC are increasingly well prepared, as shown by changes in the number of college preparatory courses, high school GPA, and test scores over time (1.3.1). Transfer students are also increasingly well prepared, as measured by college GPA (1.3.2).

Geographic origins and nonresidents

UC has a lower proportion of out-of-state undergraduates than other public AAU universities. In fall 2018, only 17.9 percent of UC’s enrollees were out-of-state or international, compared with 28.9 percent for other AAU public institutions (1.4.1).

About 34 percent of freshmen and 47 percent of transfer students entering UC campuses come from within 50 miles of campus. These numbers are relatively stable and have risen slightly over the past few years (1.4.2, 1.4.3).

The percentage of all undergraduates paying nonresident tuition has gone up in recent years. The proportion of new undergraduate students paying nonresident tuition went up slightly in 2017–18 after going down in 2016–17 (1.4.4).
Looking ahead

The University is committed to sustaining access and educating as many California residents as it can. Since 2014, UC has increased California undergraduate resident full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment by 14,300. Next year, it is planning to increase California undergraduate resident FTE enrollment by another 3,200.

For more information

Data on UC admissions:



1.1 APPLICANTS, ADMITS, AND ENROLLEES

Demand for UC admission continues to grow from freshman applicants.

1.1.1 Freshman applicants, admits, and enrollees, Universitywide, Fall 1994 to 2018

Freshman applicants, admits, and enrollees

Source: UC Data Warehouse1

From 2011 to 2018, unduplicated freshman applicants increased 71 percent (or about eight percent per year), from about 106,000 to about 182,000, compared to a 42 percent increase in the seven-year period between 2004 and 2011 (or about five percent per year), from about 75,000 to 106,000. The 71 percent growth represents about 76,000 applicants, including about 35,000 California residents.

Most campuses admit less than half of applicants. Many applicants apply to more than one UC campus; in fall 2018, UC applicants applied to an average of 3.8 campuses. Freshman applicants increased for all campuses in fall 2018. The data tables on UC freshman applicants, admits, and enrollees by campus over time can be found here.

1 Admits and enrollees here include applicants guaranteed admission who are not offered admission at a campus to which they applied but who are referred to and admitted by another campus. Some campuses admit fall applicants for a subsequent term (winter or spring). These “rollover” admits and enrollees are excluded in this indicator. Students who apply to multiple UC campuses are counted only once in the Universitywide indicator. A change in accounting for referral students is responsible for the apparent drop in 2011 admits. Beginning that year, UC Merced admitted only students who indicated interest in a referral offer, rather than every student who qualified for an offer.



1.1 APPLICANTS, ADMITS, AND ENROLLEES

Transfer applicants, admits, and enrollees increased in 2018.

1.1.2 Transfer applicants, admits, and enrollees, Universitywide and UC campuses, Fall 1994 to 2018

Transfer applicants, admits, and enrollees

Source: UC Data Warehouse1

Transfer applications, admits, and enrollees increased in 2018 as the University continued to increase California resident enrollment. Over 41,000 transfer students applied, about 29,000 were admitted, and over 21,000 enrolled in fall 2018, the largest class of transfer entrants in the University’s history. Consistent with UC’s commitment to transfer students from California Community Colleges (CCCs), fall enrollment of new CCC California resident transfers has more than doubled since 1994, from 8,400 to 17,200. The average transfer applicant applies to 3.5 UC campuses, compared to 3.8 for the average freshman applicant.

The data tables on UC transfer applicants, admits, and enrollees by campus can be found here.

1Admits and enrollees here include the referral pool. Some campuses admit fall applicants for a subsequent term (winter or spring). These “rollover” admits and enrollees are excluded in the graphs here, which only show fall data.



1.1 APPLICANTS, ADMITS AND ENROLLEES

UC has met the systemwide goal of a 2:1 ratio of California resident freshmen to transfer students and is on track to meet the goal at all campuses.

1.1.3      New California resident freshmen and transfer students, Universitywide, 2008–09 to 2018–19 

New California resident freshmen and transfer students

Source: UC Corporate Student System and UC campuses1

The Master Plan calls for UC to accommodate all qualified resident California Community College (CCC) transfer students. It specifies that the University maintain at least a 60:40 ratio of upper-division (junior and senior) to lower-division (freshman and sophomore) students to ensure adequate upper-division spaces for CCC transfers. To do so, UC aims to enroll one new California resident transfer student for every two new California resident freshmen, or 67 percent new resident freshmen to 33 percent new resident transfer students.2 UC has moved from 2.3:1 in recent years to 2.0 in 2018–19 (Universitywide). Excluding Merced, the ratio for 2018–19 is estimated to be 1.9:1, meeting the systemwide goal two years in a row.3 Santa Cruz met the goal in 2018–19, San Diego is expected to meet it in 2019–20, and Riverside is on track to meet it in 2020–21.4

2018-19* % New CA resident freshmen % New CA resident transfers Ratio of new CA freshmen to new CA transfers
Berkeley 66% 34% 2.0
Davis 64% 36% 1.8
Irvine 66% 34% 2.0
Los Angeles 61% 39% 1.5
Merced 90% 10% 9.5
Riverside 68% 32% 2.2
San Diego 67% 33% 2.1
Santa Barbara 67% 33% 2.0
Santa Cruz 64% 36% 1.8
Universitywide, all campuses 67% 33% 2.0
Universitywide, excl. Merced 65% 35% 1.9

 

1 Full year headcount enrollment. * The actual figures for 2018-19 are not yet available and may differ from the estimated figures shown here.
2 Nearly all (95 percent) of California resident transfer students in 2017–18 came from CCCs.
3 Merced is excluded from the 2:1 ratio goal that was part of the Budget Framework agreement with the State of California.
4 San Diego was above 2:1 in 2018-19 due to a one-time surge in freshmen.



1.1 APPLICANTS, ADMITS AND ENROLLEES

UC’s fall undergraduate headcount grew by three percent between fall 2017 and fall 2018, mostly due to increased California resident enrollment.

1.1.4      Undergraduate headcount enrollment, Universitywide, Fall 2008 to 2018

Undergraduate headcount enrollment

Source: UC Data Warehouse

The University and the state share the goal of expanding access to a UC education. The University enrolled 3,000 additional California residents in fall 2018 compared to fall 2017, following increases of 4,000 and 7,000 in the two prior years, for a total of over 14,000.



1.2 DEMOGRAPHIC OUTCOMES

UC’s entering first-generation students are more likely to be from an underrepresented group (URG), to enter as transfer students, and/or to be Pell Grant recipients.

1.2.1      Entering students by first-generation status, race/ethnicity, first language spoken at home, Pell Grant receipt, and entering level, Universitywide, Fall 2018

Entering students by first-generation status, race/ethnicity, first language spoken at home, Pell Grant receipt, and entering level

Source: UC Data Warehouse1

Almost half (49 percent) of entering first-generation students in fall 2018 are from URGs, compared to 15 percent of not-first-generation students. Over one-third (37 percent) of first-generation students’ first language was not English, versus 30 percent for others. Over one-third (36 percent) of first-generation students entered as transfers, versus 27 percent for others. Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of first-generation students are lower-income Pell Grant recipients, versus 17 percent for others. And nearly three-fifths (57 percent) of first-generation students are female, compared to just over half (51 percent) of others.

1 First-generation students are those whose parent(s) did not complete a four-year college degree. Total of first-generation students is 28,043 (41.3 percent); not-first-generation students total 37,845 (55.8 percent); and missing/unknown are 1,966 (2.9 percent). Those with unknown first-generation status are excluded from this indicator. Pell Grant receipt is used as a proxy for low-income status. Less than .02 percent of entering students have an unreported first language.



1.3 PREPARATION OUTCOMES

Freshmen entering UC are increasingly well-prepared.

1.3.1 A–G (college preparatory)1 courses; weighted, capped high school grade point average (GPA)2; and standardized test scores3 of entering freshmen, as share of class, Universitywide, Fall 2008 to Fall 2018

A–G (college preparatory)1 courses; weighted, capped high school grade point average (GPA)2; and standardized test scores3 of entering freshmen, as share of class 

Source: UC Application Processing data (A–G courses and test score) and UC Data Warehouse (GPA)

The academic qualifications of UC entering freshmen have improved over time, as reflected by an increase in the share of students completing 25 or more college-preparatory courses, having a 3.8 or higher high school GPA, and scoring 700 or higher on standardized entrance exams (SAT/ACT equivalent). From 2008 to 2018, the first indicator went up from 33 percent to 52 percent, while the second went up from 54 percent to 76 percent. Test scores for 2017 and later are not directly comparable to prior years, but the share scoring 700 or higher went up from 14 percent in 2008 to 24 percent in 2016.

1 A–G courses refer to those high school courses that UC has reviewed and approved as college preparatory. The minimum number of required A–G courses is 15.
2 Weighted, capped GPA means that students may receive a maximum of eight semesters of honors credit. More information is available at admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/california-residents/admissions-index/index.html.
3 Test scores are the highest of either SAT or ACT scores. ACT scores are converted to the 800 SAT scale. From 2008 to 2016, SAT scores are the average of SAT math and critical reading scores. The SAT was redesigned for 2017 and scores reflect the average of the math scores and the evidence-based reading and writing score; these scores are not directly comparable to prior years.



1.3 PREPARATION OUTCOMES

UC transfer students in fall 2018 were better prepared academically than their counterparts a decade ago, as measured by their grades.

1.3.2 College grade point average (GPA)1 of entering transfer students, as share of class, Fall 2008 to Fall 2018

College grade point average (GPA)1 of entering transfer students, as share of class

Source: UC Data Warehouse and UC Corporate Student System

The academic qualifications of transfer students entering UC have improved over time, as reflected by an increase in the share of students having a 3.6 or higher college GPA, from 37 percent in fall 2008 to 47 percent in fall 2018.

1 The transfer GPA is based on grades for college-level academic courses from the college(s) where students were previously enrolled.


1.4 GEOGRAPHIC ORIGINS AND NONRESIDENTS

UC has a substantially lower proportion of out-of-state undergraduates than other AAU universities. In fall 2018, only 17.9 percent of UC’s enrollees were out-of-state or international, compared with 28.9 percent for other AAU Public institutions.

1.4.1 Residency of undergraduate students, Universitywide and comparison institutions, Fall 2018

Residency of undergraduate students Universitywide and comparison institutions

Source: UC Data Warehouse (UC numbers) and Common Data Set (comparator numbers)
* UC’s public four comparison institutions. **AAU public average excludes UC.

UC’s priority is to enroll California residents. Campuses enroll nonresident students based on available physical and instructional capacity and the campus’ ability to attract qualified nonresident students.

Nonresidents provide geographic and cultural diversity to the student body. They also pay the full cost of their education. In 2017–18, systemwide tuition and fees for a nonresident undergraduate were $41,562, compared to $12,570 for California resident students.

Nonresident applicants must meet higher criteria to be considered for admission. The minimum high school GPA for nonresident freshmen is 3.4, compared to 3.0 for California freshmen. The minimum college GPA for nonresident transfer students is 2.8, compared to 2.4 for California residents.



1.4 GEOGRAPHIC ORIGINS AND NONRESIDENTS

UC campuses attract freshmen from nearby regions and the major urban areas of California, with a systemwide local attendance rate of 34 percent.

1.4.2 Percentage of new CA resident freshman enrollees whose home is within a 50-mile radius of their campus, UC campuses, Fall 2018

Percentage of new CA resident freshman enrollees whose home is within a 50-mile radius of their campus, Fall 2018

Source: UC Data Warehouse and UC Corporate Student System. California residents are defined here as those with permanent addresses in California.



1.4 GEOGRAPHIC ORIGINS AND NONRESIDENTS

Local enrollment rates for transfers are higher than for freshmen, with 47 percent enrolling at a UC campus within 50 miles of their homes.

1.4.3 Percentage of new CA resident transfer enrollees whose home is within a 50-mile radius of their campus, UC campuses, Fall 2018

Percentage of new CA resident transfer enrollees whose home is within a 50-mile radius of their campus

Source: UC Data Warehouse and UC Corporate Student System. California residents are defined here as those with permanent addresses in California.


1.4 GEOGRAPHIC ORIGINS AND NONRESIDENTS

The proportion of new undergraduate students paying nonresident tuition rose slightly in 2017–18.

1.4.4      Percentage of undergraduate enrollees paying nonresident tuition1, Universitywide, 2008–09 to 2017–18

Percentage of undergraduate enrollees paying nonresident tuition 

Source: UC Data Warehouse

Systemwide, the share of all undergraduates paying nonresident tuition rose from 5 percent to 17 percent from 2009–10 to 2017–18. From 2009–10 to 2015–16, the proportion of new undergraduates paying nonresident tuition went up from seven percent to 19 percent before dropping to 17 percent in 2016–17 as enrollment of new California residents increased. In 2017–18, the proportion of new undergraduates paying nonresident tuition went up slightly, to 18 percent.

The proportion of nonresident students at individual campuses varies depending on a campus’ capacity, its ability to attract nonresident students as well as its nonresident cap under a new policy approved in May 2017, which applies to total undergraduate numbers. Under the new policy, effective in 2018–19, nonresident enrollment will be limited to 18 percent at five UC campuses. At the other four campuses where the proportion of nonresidents already exceeds 18 percent — UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UCLA, and UC San Diego — nonresident enrollment will be capped at the proportion that each campus enrolled in 2017–18.

1 This chart uses year average headcount enrollment, the average headcount across all terms in the academic year (three quarters or two semesters).
2 Not all nonresident students pay nonresident tuition. Some have statutory exemptions, such as AB 540 students, children of UC employees, and others designated by the state. AB 540 students are considered California residents for tuition purposes as established by Assembly Bill 540, passed in 2001.



Download data tables for chapter 1 indicators (Excel format)

Download chapter 1 (pdf format)

 

Back to top