UC applications reach new highs

Applications to the UCLA campus and the University of California system reached record highs this year, according to reports released Friday by the UC Office of the President.

Almost 100,000 applicants – including both freshman and transfer students – applied to UCLA for fall 2013, an 8.8 percent increase from last year and the highest number in the university’s history, according to a UCLA news release.

The number of freshman applicants at UCLA rose by 10.8 percent since last year, while the total number of freshman applicants at the UC saw a 10.7 percent increase.

UCLA saw a 31.7 percent increase in freshman international applications since last year. Out-of-state freshman applications increased by 19 percent, with a 5 percent increase in California resident applicants.

“We have seen a surge in applications at UCLA over the last several years and while there is an increase in applications at institutions nationally, what we are seeing is a tremendous quality increase in students seeking us,” said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, UCLA associate vice chancellor for enrollment management. “To that extent I am not surprised (by the nearly 100,000 applications).”

Transfer applications to UCLA also increased by about 1 percent  compared to last year, which had a 4 percent decline since the previous year, according to Daily Bruin archives.

“We want to make sure we continue to let transfer students in California know that UCLA is a real choice for them,” Copeland-Morgan said. “We were really pleased to see the increase in transfer numbers particularly given that transfer students are having difficulty getting the classes they need.”

Across the UC system, applications rose by 8.6 percent to a record high of nearly 175,000 applicants.

“We were not surprised (by the data), and are frankly gratified that there’s still such a high demand for the University,” said Dianne Klein, a UC spokeswoman. “We had anecdotal evidence that the numbers would be up, and what this was was collating all the information from the campuses to see the larger trends.”

Though UCLA received the most applications of the nine undergraduate campuses, UC Santa Cruz saw the largest increase with 14.8 percent. The UCLA news release stated that UCLA remains the “most applied-to” university in the country.

The data also depicts a change in demographics. Chicano-Latino students in California, already the largest racial group among California high school graduates, are now the largest racial group of freshman applicants to the UC.

“In absolute numbers, (every group) increased slightly – in percentages Asian Americans dipped a little,” Klein said. “This reflects the high school graduate population in California. … It’s notable that Latinos are one, graduating more, and two, applying to the University.”

Admissions decisions will come out at the end of March, said Ricardo Vazquez, a UCLA spokesman. Campuses have not yet set their targets for admissions results, Klein said.