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Campus announces 2013-14 freshman admissions numbers

By Janet Gilmore

The University of California, Berkeley, has extended offers of 2013-14 freshman admission to more than 14,000 students whose accomplishments and interests extend beyond outstanding academic performance. Campus officials released the admissions figures today (Thursday, April 18).

The admitted class includes national debating champions, competitors and winners in national and worldwide robotics tournaments, world champions in martial arts and equestrian events, a musician awarded the top prize in an international Bach competition and an Olympic champion. There is also a set of triplets.

In all, 14,103 students have been offered admission to the 2013-14 freshman class, following evaluation of a record-high 67,665 freshman applications. This year’s admissions rate, the percentage of applications that resulted in offers of admission, is 20.8 percent, comparable to the 2012-13 rate of 21.1 percent.

Admissions officials point out that not only does the academic strength of the class remain high — average unweighted GPA of 3.90, average weighted GPA of 4.37 and average SAT score of 2077 — but UC Berkeley continues to fulfill its goal of offering admission to students from a broad cross-section of backgrounds, interests, cultures, communities and experiences.

“The caliber of the applicant pool and admitted students pool remains quite high,” said Amy Jarich, UC Berkeley’s assistant vice chancellor and director of undergraduate admissions. “Our attention now turns to welcoming the newly admitted students as a class, creating a sense of community for them and encouraging them to choose Berkeley.”

Students have until May 1 to submit to the university a Statement of Intent to Register, the formal acceptance of the admission offer. Numerous efforts are underway to encourage students to take that step.

On the financial aid front, newly admitted students also have good news: UC Berkeley continues to grow and expand its ability to offer a broader range of families financial assistance through the Middle Class Access Plan (MCAP), which caps the parents’ contribution towards the total annual cost of an eligible student’s education (from tuition and fees to expenses including room, board and books) at 15 percent of the parents’ total income.

In addition, the Blue and Gold program offered by the University of California system provides financial aid for eligible families with incomes up to $80,000.

Campus officials also have taken steps to hold down costs for all students on financial aid. “Self help,” the portion of college costs that students getting financial aid are expected to pay on their own (or through outside scholarships and grants), will not increase in 2013-14. For California residents, it will remain at $8,600, or about one-third of the annual cost of tuition, room and board and all other living and school expenses. UC Berkeley’s $8,600 self-help level is the lowest (along with UCLA) in the entire UC system. And, 40 percent of UC Berkeley’s currently enrolled undergraduate students pay no tuition, thanks to grants and scholarships.

Of the more than 14,000 students recently offered admission, Jarich expects approximately 4,350 students to enroll for fall 2013 and another 900 in spring 2014, which are numbers comparable to targets in place for 2012-13.

California residents represent the largest portion of the admitted class, with more than 9,100 offered admission. These students represent 53 of California’s 58 counties.

The admitted class also includes about 3,300 students from 53 U.S. states and territories — most students are from Texas, Washington state, New Jersey, Florida and Arizona; and about 1,600 students from 74 countries, primarily China, South Korea, India, Canada and Singapore. The students speak more than 130 languages and dialects.

Other data and information about the 2013-14 admitted class include the following:

  • First-generation students: More than 3,000 of the admitted students are from families in which neither parent has a four-year college degree.
  • Underrepresented students: The number of admission offers to underrepresented students (African American, Chicano/Latino, American Indian) increased to 2,335 for 2013-14, compared to 2,298 a year ago.
  • Women: Women continue to represent about 54 percent of all admitted students.
  • International and out-of-state students: Offers of admission to U.S. students from outside of California increased to 3,341 from 2,622 last year. Offers to international students increased to 1,638, from 1,137. Last year, fewer of these students than anticipated chose to enroll, and consequently enrollment targets for them were not met. This year’s offers reflect new calculations designed to more closely meet targets.
  • California resident admissions: Compared to 2012-13, 154 fewer California residents were made offers of admission for 2013-14, a step taken to bring their numbers in closer alignment with state funding levels.

Newly admitted students are being invited to learn more about the university and other newly admitted students though receptions and on-campus activities, as well as through social media discussions and other activities for students contemplating enrolling here. Facebook and other social media accounts have been set up to encourage these students to get to know each other, meet current students and listen to a Class of 2017 soundtrack that current UC Berkeley students created for incoming freshmen. Soundtrack selections will be played at receptions and other events for the group.

The admitted students also can download decals that say “Berkeley Bound” and “Admitted Golden Bear” for posting on their social media accounts and elsewhere to share news about being admitted to UC Berkeley.

UC Berkeley’s admissions process evaluates student applicants based on a host of factors including leadership skills, persistence and how students took advantage of the opportunities available to them or overcame obstacles they faced. Every application is read and evaluated. Students were notified of admissions decisions on March 28.

For more detailed data on the 2013-14 admitted class, please see the UC Berkeley admissions charts , which show combined data for California residents and non-residents. Also see additional charts on the UC systemwide website that include statistics from all UC campuses and generally are focused on California residents.

UC Berkeley is the world’s premier public university with a mission to excel in teaching, research and public service. This longstanding mission has led to the university’s distinguished record of Nobel-level scholarship, constant innovation, a concern for the betterment of our world and consistently high rankings of its schools and departments. The campus offers superior, high-value education for extraordinarily talented students from all walks of life, operational excellence and a commitment to the competitiveness and prosperity of California and the nation.