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Applications to UC at Record Level

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

The University of California announced Wednesday that it received a record number of applications for undergraduate admissions for fall 1998, with the number of black and Latino applicants rising as well, despite the controversy over ending affirmative action.

By the Nov. 30 application deadline, about 76,500 students had sought admission as undergraduates at eight UC campuses, according to UC officials.

High school seniors and others applying to be freshmen accounted for about 59,000 of the applications, an 8% increase over the figures for fall 1997 admission and the largest one-year increase in a decade.

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The number of African American freshman applicants increased 4.9% and the number of such Latinos 7% over the number seeking admission for fall 1997.

In addition to the applications for next fall’s freshman classes, UC campuses received about 17,000 applications from students seeking to transfer from other institutions of higher education.

The figures released Wednesday reflect increases in overall undergraduate applications at all the prestigious university system’s campuses, including its two flagships. Applications were up 9.8% at UCLA and 11.4% at Berkeley.

“These significant increases in applications at every campus are testament to UC’s high quality and strong appeal,” said UC President Richard Atkinson.

“The increases are particularly heartening in light of our efforts to provide continued educational opportunity and access for California students of all backgrounds.”

But although UC officials were buoyed by the figures, they cautioned that many of the applicants do not meet the full criteria for UC admissions and will be rejected. In addition, with the intense competition for limited places, especially at UCLA and Berkeley, officials have predicted that the number of minority students ultimately accepted will drop from past levels now that racial preferences in admissions have been banned.

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There are currently about 120,000 full-time undergraduates enrolled at UC campuses statewide.

The increase in applications is part of a trend spotlighted by education experts, who have called on the state to provide places for hundreds of thousands of new undergraduates at UC, California State University campuses and community colleges as the state’s population surges.

To some degree, the increase in applications was not a surprise because the pool of high school graduates is growing in California. But UC administrators and education consultants Wednesday cited a variety of other reasons for the boost in applications, including the improved economy--prompting a willingness to spend more money on education--a modest cut in UC fees and the system’s outreach programs to attract more high school students.

This is the first fall class of applicants that will feel the full weight of the Board of Regents’ decision to ban the consideration of race and gender in undergraduate admissions.

The change in policy already has resulted in dramatic drops in the number of blacks and Latinos admitted to some UC law and medical schools. And supporters of affirmative action had warned that minority students could be discouraged from applying for undergraduate admissions.

Ward Connerly, a UC regent who spearheaded the affirmative action ban, voiced satisfaction with the figures showing increases in the applications from blacks and Latinos.

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“My reaction is almost one of vindication, because just a few months ago there were people saying we’ve created a hostile environment so much so that blacks and Latinos weren’t even applying and [were] going elsewhere. This really puts that lie to rest,” he said in a telephone interview.

Connerly also noted the high number of freshman applicants who did not state their ethnicity--more than 8,000 in all, a 219% increase over last year. That may be one reason for an 8.1% drop in the number of applicants who identified themselves as white.

Carla Ferri, director of UC undergraduate admissions, also was pleased by the number of minority applications. Despite the change in admissions procedures, “UC is still a welcoming institution for underrepresented students,” she said.

Marge Chisholm, legislative liaison for the California Postsecondary Education Commission, similarly said, “The word is getting out . . . the university is very committed to admitting as diverse a population as possible, and we think that outreach efforts probably are helping.”

But not every campus reported a rise in applications from all groups.

At UCLA, although applications from Latinos seeking freshman spots were up 6.7%, applications from blacks decreased 7.8%, the school reported. The largest number of freshman applications there came from Asian Americans, but that total was down 1.1% from the 11,492 received for last fall’s class.

At UC Irvine, there were a record 19,000 applicants, up 12% from the year before. Officials attributed the increase to an intensive drive at high schools and community colleges and a stepped-up recruiting presence in Northern California.

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UC Riverside, which has not been as popular as other UC campuses, experienced the biggest jump in applications for freshman admission, 18.5%.

For UC Irvine and other campuses, a deeper application pool means admissions officers can be more selective. The Orange County university expects to turn away more qualified applicants than ever before, an estimated 6,000, Gomez said, up from 3,000 rejections last year. Not long ago, UC Irvine admitted every applicant who met minimum qualifications.

Times staff writer Nick Anderson in Orange County contributed to this story.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

UC’s Record Numbers (Southland Edition, A17)

For fall 1998, a record 76,500 students sought admission as undergraduates at eight University of California campuses. Those applying to be freshmen accounted for nearly 59,000 of that number, an 8% increase over 1997 and the largest one-year jump in a decade. The other 17,000 applications were from community college students and others seeking to transfer.

FRESHMAN APPLICATIONS

% change for fall 1998 from fall 1998 applications

CAMPUS

Berkeley (29,104): +10.1%

Davis (19,863): +4.1%

Irvine (18,770): +12.3%

Los Angeles (31,688): +11.3%

Riverside (11,164): +18.5%

San Diego (27,379): +11.4%

Santa Barbara (23,038): +14.4%

Santa Cruz (12,535): +11.6%

Note: Numbers for individual campuses add up to more than systemwide totals because students may apply to more than one campus. Students applied to an average of 2.9 UC campuses in each of the last two years.

****

APPLICATIONS BY ETHNIC GROUP

% change for fall 1998 from fall 1997 for freshman applicants

African American (2,151): +4.9%

American Indian (438): +11.2%

Asian American (13,458): +0.7%

Filipino American (2,534): +2.3%

Latino/Chicano (7,304): +7.0%

White/Other (23,249) -8.1%

Decline to state (8,170): +219.0%

* Statistics for UC San Francisco are not included because it does not have an undergraduate transfer students.

Researched by NONA YATES / Los Angeles Times

Source: University of California

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