Campus & community, Campus news

More than 67,000 apply for freshman admission

By Janet Gilmore

Another record number of students have applied for enrollment in UC Berkeley’s next freshman class. In all, more than 67,000 individuals submitted applications,up nearly 10 percent from the previous application period.

“There is no question that a UC Berkeley education is highly sought after by top students in California and outside of the state,” says Amy Jarich, the campus’s assistant vice chancellor and director of undergraduate admissions. Jarich notes that  “9.7 percent is a healthy increase in applications; we are fortunate to choose from students with such outstanding qualities and talents.”

On Jan. 18, the University of California released freshman and transfer application data for the 2013-14 academic year for all campuses in the university system. All campuses saw an increase in freshman applications.

Last year, at UC Berkeley, a then-record 61,600 students applied for freshman admission, following record-high increases in applications in previous years. For 2013-14, there are 67,627 applications for freshman admission to Berkeley. Factors that may be driving the increasing application numbers include not only higher demand by students inside and outside of California, Jarich says, but recruitment efforts by campus admissions staff, to reach more communities.

While interest from international and out-of-state students remains high (both groups were up about 22 percent from the previous year), campus officials also note an increase in applications from California students, including some from lower-performing high schools, as measured by the state’s Academic Performance Index test scores.

There were increases, as well, among students seeking to transfer to UC Berkeley from community colleges and other institutions; applications rose by about 300 —  from 15,710 for 2012-13 to 16,010 for 2013-14.

Freshman admissions decisions will be announced for most student applicants on Thursday, March 28. Transfer-student application decisions will be announced Friday, April 26.

A detailed campus-by-campus report is available from UC Office of the President. Note that figures from UCOP may not be identical to those provided by UC Berkeley, due to differences in when the data were collected, among other factors.