University of California officials said a record number of students have applied to the campuses for classes beginning this fall.
Systemwide, freshman applications jumped by 7,140 as compared with applications last year, rising by .5 percent to an all-time high of 210,840 for fall 2022 as compared with 203,700 in fall 2021. California freshman applications also saw impressive gains with 3.3 percent growth between now and this time last year.
By comparison with 2020, the growth rate is 16.8 percent.
“The University of California remains an institution of choice for so many hardworking prospective undergraduates,” said University of California President Michael V. Drake. “This diverse group of students has shown their commitment to pursuing higher education and we are thrilled they want to join us at UC.”
UC’s dedicated outreach efforts to California high schools contributed to a surge in applications from California freshmen in underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and in applications from low-income students for fall 2022.
Rising enrollment figures have been an issue in communities such as Berkeley, where community groups have fought the university’s continued growth because of its impact on traffic and local housing availability. UC Berkeley is under court order to cap its enrollment at 2020-21 levels while it works to prove that its expansion plans adequately address those concerns.
Between 2010 and 2020, UC Berkeley enrollment has increased by about 18 percent or about 6,500 to 42,327 students.