Freshmen at UCI Are a Class Apart

A national study of college freshmen shows that UC Irvine first-year students are more ethnically diverse than their counterparts at other U.S. colleges. The study also found that they are less likely than other college students to drink alcohol.

UCI officials this week released results of the survey, which is made annually by the American Council of Education-UCLA Cooperative Institutional Research Program.

“This year’s UCI freshmen came from high schools and neighborhoods more racially diverse than their national counterparts,” said Colleen Bentley-Adler, a UCI spokeswoman. “Thirty-four percent (of this year’s UCI freshmen) said English was not their first language, compared with 5.6% at other universities. Only 47% said they came from a mostly white high school, while 62% at other universities did.”

Bentley-Adler said this year’s freshmen survey shows how much UCI has changed since a 1978 analysis.

“In 1978, the vast majority--67%--of UCI freshmen were Caucasian,” Bentley-Adler said. “Nearly 8% were black; 15% Asian; nearly 8% Chicano/Latino and 1% American Indian. Ten years later, 50% are Caucasian; 2.4% black; 40% Asian; 5.2% Chicano/Latino, and 1% American Indian.”

The survey’s questions about religion also produced results showing how diverse UCI has become, Bentley-Adler noted. “By far there are more Buddhists at UCI--6%--than at other universities,” she said. “Ten years ago, Buddhism was not even listed as a choice (on the annual freshman survey).”

The 1988 survey found that UCI freshmen are academically brighter and less likely to drink alcoholic beverages than their counterparts nationwide.

Bentley-Adler said that “more than 90% of the 1988 UCI freshmen class rated themselves in the top 10% in academic ability, compared with 77% at other universities.”

She said the survey also found that less than half of the 1988 UCI freshmen had ever drunk beer, wine or liquor, compared to nearly 70% at other campuses.