UC Santa Cruz students are scheduled to begin moving into university housing on Friday, September 19, in anticipation of the 2008-09 school year. The first day of instruction in the fall quarter is Thursday, September 25. The fall-quarter "move-in" for students living on campus is scheduled to continue through Sunday, September 21.
Here are some facts and figures about this year's new students, new programs the campus is offering, and new buildings that are under construction.
2008-09 Enrollment:
On-campus enrollment during the 2008-09 academic year is expected to average 15,425 over the fall, winter, and spring quarters. In addition, UCSC expects to enroll another 300 FTE students in off-campus venues, such as the Education Abroad Program, the UC-DC program in Washington, D.C., and in studies at the Silicon Valley Center. Of the 15,725 students expected to enroll this next academic year, 14,255 will be undergraduates; 1,470 are projected to enroll in graduate studies. During the course of the year, approximately 4,870 new undergraduate students (3,850 freshmen and 1,070 transfer students) are expected to enroll. For fall quarter, the new undergraduates were admitted from among approximately 33,137 applicants to UCSC (27,842 applications from prospective freshmen; 5,295, from prospective transfer students.)
Freshman Class:
UCSC's new freshman class, which is projected to include about 3,850 students, will be the most diverse entering class ever. UC Santa Cruz saw increases in all underrepresented ethnicities in this year's freshmen. Almost one-quarter (22.9 percent) of the incoming freshmen this fall identified themselves as African American, Chicano, Latino, or American Indian, and another quarter (24.7 percent) identified themselves as Asian/Asian American. Nearly one-third of incoming freshman will be the first in their family to earn a four-year degree.
Nearly 70 percent of the freshmen have proposed a major on their application, while about 30 percent are joining the campus as "undeclared/undecided." The most popular majors among the incoming freshmen include biology (246 students), business management economics (239 students), and psychology (281 students). Another 287 students are expected to enroll in engineering majors. More than 600 students (607) have proposed a major in the many subjects relating to biological sciences.
The average grade-point average (G.P.A.) of admitted freshmen this fall is 3.70.
About 31 percent of new freshmen come from the Bay Area/Northern California, while another 35 percent come from Southern California. Nearly 99 percent of the incoming freshmen will be living on campus.
Transfer Students:
The new students projected to enroll at UCSC this year include 1,070 transfer students. Approximately 20 percent of the expected transfer students are from underrepresented ethnicities, up slightly from last year. Also expected to show a slight increase is the percentage of transfer students (12.8 percent) identifying themselves as Asian/Asian American.
Popular majors for transfer students who have selected a major on their application include psychology, the biological sciences, and literature. Average G.P.A. of admitted transfer students this fall is 3.30.
About 91 percent of incoming transfer students are from the California community colleges, also an increase over last year. Students from Cabrillo College are expected to total approximately 151, comprising more than 17 percent of all incoming transfers. About 36 percent of transfers are from the Bay Area/Northern California and 33 percent from Southern California.
New Academic Programs for UCSC Students:
UCSC is offering two new minors: the Baskin School of Engineering has created a minor in Applied Mathematics, and the Sociology Department has created a minor in Global Information and Social Enterprise Studies.
In addition, the School of Engineering has added several new academic concentrations within the undergraduate majors of bioengineering and electrical engineering.
New Buildings/Other Construction Projects:
A number of construction projects will continue through part or all of the 2008-09 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 three 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: Work is ongoing, and the building is scheduled for completion in fall 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: Construction work continues 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.
