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January 25, 1999

State community college applications to UC up 9 percent

By Terry Lightfoot
UC Office of the President

Nearly 13,700 students from California Community Colleges have applied to transfer to the University of California in fall 1999, an increase of more than 9 percent.

The upsurge is more than nine times the increase in transfer applications submitted across the system for fall 1998.

The increase follows an agreement reached last year between UC and the California Community College system to increase by 33 percent the number of transfer students enrolled at the university by the year 2005. Both systems have substantially increased efforts to enhance and ease the transfer process.

"The agreement between UC and the community colleges to strengthen the transfer process is the latest example of a partnership that has brought expanded opportunities to students and tremendous benefits to the state," said UC President Richard C. Atkinson. "I'm pleased that a significant first step has been taken toward our goal of encouraging more community college students to complete their education at UC."

California Community Colleges Chancellor Thomas J. Nussbaum said, "I'm greatly encouraged by this very substantial increase in community college transfer applicants to the university, because it means we are setting the stage for a healthy increase in the number of students who will gain admission and enroll."

UC guarantees a spot for all eligible California community college transfer students, although not necessarily to the campus or major of first choice. In addition, UC gives eligible California community college applicants first priority in admissions consideration over all other transfer applicants.

In 1997, nearly 90 percent of all transfer students who enrolled at UC came from a California community college. The increase in transfer applications from state community colleges was reflected at all eight undergraduate campuses. The Santa Barbara campus recorded an increase of 20 percent from 3,654 for fall 1998 to 4,385 for fall 1999. The increases at the other campuses were:

Freshman Applications

This is the first year that the increase in overall transfer applications (9.2 percent) surpassed increases in freshman applications (7.8 percent). Nevertheless, the number of freshmen seeking a spot at UC (63,446) continued an annual trend of exceeding the previous year's record total.

The number of freshman applications for fall 1998 was 58,877. The increased interest in UC among high school seniors extended to all campuses. Freshman applications to the San Diego campus increased by 16.4 percent from 27,386 for fall 1998 to 31,890 for fall 1999. It was followed by Riverside with 14.6 percent (11,167 to 12,796), Irvine 14.5 percent (18,781 to 21,503), Santa Barbara 14.2 percent (23,039 to 26,319), Santa Cruz 12 percent (12,532 to 14,033), Davis 12 percent (19,863 to 22,243), Los Angeles 9.2 percent (31,648 to 34,567), and Berkeley 4.1 percent (29,114 to 30,303).

"The high volume of applications from high school seniors and community college students continues to confirm UC's high quality and lasting appeal to all seeking the best that higher education has to offer," Atkinson said. The increase in applications coincides with ongoing outreach efforts by all UC campuses to assure that students and families have the information needed to meet UC eligibility requirements and apply to the university.

California applications

California freshman applications increased from 6.4 percent. The increase was reflected in all ethnic groups except for American Indians.

Applications from whites/others increased 21.4 percent from 19,264 applications for fall 1998 to 23,377. The number of applications from Asian Americans increased 13.3 percent (11,629 to 13,177), Filipinos 10 percent (2,389 to 2,629), African Americans 6.8 percent (1,965 to 2,099), Latinos 7.6 percent (1,691 to 1,819), and Chicanos 5.6 percent (5,239 to 5,530). Applications from American Indians declined 2.6 percent (386 to 376).

Transfer applications from California Community Colleges from whites/others increased 28 percent from 5,440 for fall 1998 to 6,964 for fall 1999. Transfer applications from African Americans increased 21.2 percent (335 to 406), Latinos 17.2 percent (472 to 553), Filipinos 8.8 percent (377 to 410), Chicanos 12.2 percent (1,234 to 1,385), Asian Americans 11.2 percent (2,411 to 2,682), and American Indians 3.1 percent (128 to 132). The number of students declining to state their ethnicity dropped roughly 45 percent on both freshman and transfer applications.

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