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UCLA admits largest freshman class to date

By Kristen Taketa

April 19, 2013 1:37 a.m.

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Jonathan Solichin / Daily Bruin

The original version of this article contained information that was unclear and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for additional information.

While state funding to the University of California remains up in the air and growing enrollment has placed pressure on campus resources, UCLA admitted its biggest freshman class in university history, according to admissions data released Thursday.

This year’s number of UCLA admits increased by 4.7 percent from last year to more than 16,177 students, while the UC as a whole admitted 82,850 freshman students, also a record high. Nonresident admits, which have grown in recent years, account for the majority of that increase at UCLA.

UCLA is steadily becoming more competitive – it saw a total 20.1 percent acceptance rate, the most selective of the UCs. The UC admissions data released Thursday do not include students on the waitlist.

UCLA officials said they are confident the university will not have much extra difficulty accommodating the large expected class.

Their confidence is partly based on UCLA’s enrollment targets, or the numbers of residents and nonresidents they expect will enroll at UCLA for the fall, said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at UCLA. Enrollment targets, set by UCLA admissions officials, guide how they decide who and how many applicants they accept.

Copeland-Morgan said UCLA officials expect to enroll about 4,100 residents and 1,600 nonresidents this year, about 200 fewer students than the 2012 enrolled freshman class.

“We will make sure that students continue to have the classes that are needed for them to stay on track for graduation,” Copeland-Morgan said.

Also, much of the increase in admitted students this year is from nonresident students, who are less likely than residents to enroll at UCLA since they typically have a wider range of college choices, Copeland-Morgan added. Out-of-state and international students in total made up 41 percent of all admitted freshmen, compared to about 40 percent in 2012.

But UCLA has not always stayed within its enrollment targets. Last year, 100 more students than UCLA had planned for enrolled.

The year before, UCLA over-enrolled by about 600 students and unintentionally ended up with its largest freshman class ever. UCLA bore the brunt of the sudden increase by spending an extra $16 million to provide enough courses for the incoming students.

“It’s always possible some more students may come,” said Bob Cox, manager of the UCLA Office of Analysis and Information Management. “In that case, we’d have to go back (and plan) again.”

To adjust for large freshman cohorts, UCLA departments may have to stretch their course schedules and request more funding from the university for more classes, among other actions, Cox said.

“We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t think we could do it right,” Cox said. “We believe that UCLA can handle it, that freshman cohorts of this size are possible.”

Nonresident applications to UCLA jumped by more than 5,000 this year, partly because of UCLA’s increased efforts to recruit nonresidents, who pay an extra $23,000 in tuition, in recent years.

This time, however, international students faced significantly higher competition for a spot than out-of-state students. UCLA admitted 19 percent less international students compared to last year, while out-of-state admits increased by about 34 percent.

Nonresident students are also held to higher standards than are California residents, said Michael Treviño, UC director of undergraduate admissions, in a conference call.

Copeland-Morgan said she does not know how many students are on the waitlist, but added that UCLA will accept students from the waitlist to reach their enrollment targets for resident and nonresident students. Students from the waitlist will be accepted depending on whether they are in-state or from outside of California, she said.

Students must submit their Statements of Intent to Register by May 1.

Clarification: Last year, 100 more students than UCLA had planned for enrolled.

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