For the second year in a row, more than 30,000 prospective undergraduates have applied to the University of California, Santa Cruz for admission in the upcoming fall quarter. Numbers released today by UC's Office of the President showed that UC Santa Cruz attracted 32,847 applications from high school seniors and transfer students during the university's "priority filing" period of November 1-30.
| 32,847 prospective freshmen and transfer students apply for no more than 4,570 openings |
Two years ago, UCSC received 29,140 applications from prospective undergraduates (freshmen and transfer students). Last year, that number jumped 13.4 percent to 33,055. For fall '09, undergraduate applications totaled 32,847 - 208 (approximately 0.6 percent) fewer than undergraduate applications received a year ago.
Whittingham said UCSC officials are particularly pleased that applications from prospective transfer students continued to climb this year. UCSC received 5,616 such applications, 371 (7.1 percent) more than a year earlier. "Given the UC Regents' recent decision regarding the budget's impact on UC-wide enrollment, that is where undergraduate growth on our campus will occur this fall," she said.
One of the six UC campuses with reduced enrollment targets for freshmen, UCSC has a fall '09 enrollment target of no more than 3,620 freshmen; that is a reduction of 335 from this past fall. However, the Regents are encouraging growth in transfer-student enrollment, and UCSC's fall '09 enrollment target will be no more than 950 such students, 80 more than the campus enrolled this past fall.
Applications from prospective freshmen were similar to last year's numbers in all five of UCSC's academic divisions: Arts, Engineering, Humanities, Physical and Biological Sciences, and Social Sciences. Slight increases were experienced in the Baskin School of Engineering and in Physical and Biological Sciences. Approximately one-third of the prospective freshmen applied to UCSC with an undeclared major.
"Since our freshman enrollment target is lower than it was for this past fall, the fact that we received more than 27,000 applications from that group will make freshman admission for fall 2009 more competitive than ever," Whittingham said.
Among California freshman applications to UCSC, increases were realized in all of the underrepresented ethnic groups: African American, from 972 last year to 986 this year, a 1.4 percent increase; American Indian, from 180 last year to 207 this year, a 15.0 percent increase; and Chicano/Latino, from 5,105 last year to 5,366 this year, a 5.1 percent increase.
In transfer-student applications from California's Community Colleges, the increases from underrepresented groups were even larger: African American, from 127 last year to 166 this year, a 30.7 percent increase; American Indian, from 49 last year to 59 this year, a 20.4 percent increase; and Chicano/Latino, from 774 last year to 851 this year, a 9.9 percent increase.
"We are very excited about these increases, especially among transfer students coming from the state's community colleges," Whittingham said. "It's important that the ethnic diversity of UCSC's students more closely mirror the state we serve."
Undergraduate applicants to UCSC will be notified of admission decisions beginning on March 15. Admitted freshmen will have until May 1 to file a "statement of intent to register," indicating their intention to enroll at UC Santa Cruz. The deadline for transfer students is June 1.
Michelle Whittingham, UCSC's associate vice chancellor of enrollment management, is available to discuss undergraduate applications to the campus for fall 2009. To arrange an interview, please call (831) 459-2495.
