January 28, 1998 Contact: Francine Tyler (408) 459-2495; ftyler@cats.ucsc.edu

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION RISE 9 PERCENT AT UC SANTA CRUZ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--During the November filing period, 15,889 prospective students applied for admission to UC Santa Cruz for fall 1998, an increase of 8.8 percent over applications received at the same time last year.

The total was the most ever received by UCSC during the open filing period, reported J. Michael Thompson, UCSC's associate vice chancellor for enrollment management and director of admissions. The fall 1998 application totals for the entire University of California system were released this morning by UC's Office of the President.

"The increase in applications demonstrates that college-going students and their families have an increasingly better understanding of the quality and breadth of UC Santa Cruz's academic programs," said Thompson. "We're gratified that the message that our whole campus community has been sending out--about the quality of our academics and the success of our alumni--is getting through."

UCSC experienced the fourth-highest increase in freshman applications among the nine UC campuses: Freshman applications rose 11.6 percent, from 11,233 last year to 12,535 this year. The fall 1998 admissions process marks the first time that UCSC will admit freshmen and transfer students under both a revised UC policy and a new state law prohibiting the use of race, gender, and ethnicity in admissions decisions. Applications to UCSC from underrepresented minority students rose 3 percent, from 3,007 last year to 3,122 this year.

"We are pleased that more students from underrepresented groups applied to UC Santa Cruz for next fall," said Francisco Hernandez, vice chancellor for student affairs. "In a number of ways, students, faculty, and staff have put forth extraordinary effort to let students know about our campus."

As part of the campus's program, "Reaching Out for Our Future," UCSC students returned to their old high schools to talk to the students there about the university. UCSC also hosted overnight visits of more than 200 youths from 17 high schools in northern and central California. It also sent Rainbow Theater, a student performance troupe dedicated to multicultural plays, to Los Angeles to perform at community colleges and high schools.

"Reaching Out" is supported by matching funds from UCSC's Chancellor's Office and Office of Admissions in addition to UC's Office of the President.

Editor's note: J. Michael Thompson is available to discuss fall 1998 applications to UCSC. To schedule an interview, call Francine Tyler at (408) 459-2495.

This news release is also available on the World Wide Web at UCSC's "Services for Journalists" site (http://www.ucsc.edu/news/journalist).

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