UCSC students began moving into university housing on Friday, September 21, in anticipation of the 2007-08 school year. The first day of instruction in the fall quarter is Thursday, September 27. The fall-quarter "move-in" for students living on campus was scheduled to continue through Sunday, September 23.
Here are some facts and figures about this year's new students, new academic programs the campus is offering, and new buildings that are under construction.
Freshman Class:
UCSC's new freshman class, which is projected to include about 3,750 students, will be the most diverse entering class ever. About one-quarter (25.8 percent) of the incoming freshmen identified themselves as African American, Chicano, Latino, or American Indian, and another quarter (25.4 percent) identified themselves as Asian/Asian American. This is the largest percentage of underrepresented freshmen ever at UCSC.
More than 65 percent of the freshmen have declared a major. The most popular majors among the incoming freshmen include biology (201 students), business management economics (246 students), and psychology (252 students). Another 221 students are expected to enroll in engineering majors. The average grade-point average (G.P.A.) of admitted freshmen is 3.69.
About 31 percent of new freshmen come from the Bay Area/Northern California, while another 37 percent come from Southern California.
Transfer Students:
The new students projected to enroll at UCSC this year include about 825 transfer students. The number of transfer students from underrepresented groups is about 23 percent, slightly up from last year.
Popular majors for transfer students who have already declared include psychology, the biological sciences, and literature. Average G.P.A. of admitted transfer students is 3.27.
About 87 percent of incoming transfer students are from the California community colleges. Students from Cabrillo College are expected to total approximately 120, comprising more than 14 percent of all incoming transfers. About 35 percent of transfers are from the Bay Area/Northern California and 33 percent from Southern California.
New Academic Programs for UCSC Students:
The Baskin School of Engineering is offering a new B.S. program in bioengineering and new M.S. and Ph.D. programs in statistics and stochastic modeling.
2006-07 Enrollment:
UCSC's 2006-07 academic-year enrollment averaged 14,894 over the fall, winter, and spring quarters. The on-campus three-quarter enrollment was 14,619 because 275 of these students enrolled in off-campus venues, such as the Education Abroad Program and the UC-DC program in Washington D.C. UCSC's 14,894 students included 13,525 undergraduates and 1,369 graduate students. Average enrollment for the 2007-08 academic year will be determined in spring 2008.
New Buildings/Other Infrastructure Projects:
A number of construction projects will continue through part or all of the 2007-08 academic year. The projects include:
McHenry Library Expansion: After 10 years of planning, the McHenry Library Addition and Renovation Project took a giant step toward reality as construction began two years ago. The expanded and renovated McHenry Library will provide increased space to better serve library users. The project, scheduled for completion in 2009, will provide the campus with an outstanding, architecturally designed building in a setting of terraced reading gardens, redwoods, and cherry trees.
Digital Arts Building: Grading of the site has begun and the building is scheduled for completion in May 2009. Located near the Elena Baskin Visual Arts Center, the state-funded $25 million arts building is slated to house the expanding digital arts program as well as to provide 10 studios for art faculty, a photography studio, and expanded space for music and theater arts classes.
Ranch View Terrace: Site preparation work is under way on the Ranch View Terrace project, which will provide 45 single-family homes in its first phase. The three- and four-bedroom homes will be located in the southern section of campus, adjacent to the Arboretum, and south of the Farm and Garden. The site has the capacity to include an additional 39 homes in subsequent phases. The first units are expected to be available for occupancy in the fall of 2008.
For more information about these and other projects, please go to: construction.ucsc.edu.
