Minority Admissions Rise in UC System but Fall at UCLA

For the second straight year, the University of California has admitted a greater proportion of underrepresented minority students than at any time since a ban on affirmative action in admissions took effect.

But the overall percentage of underrepresented minorities -- and African Americans in particular -- declined this year at UC’s most competitive campuses, UC Berkeley and UCLA. The drop was most significant at UCLA, where African Americans represent 2.8% of California high school seniors admitted for the fall, down from 3.3% last year. At UC Berkeley, black students make up 3.3% of admitted California students, off from 3.6% last year.

The proportion of Latino students admitted to Berkeley rose slightly for the fall; at UCLA it fell. Throughout the system, the number of Latinos offered admission set a record for the third straight year.

Across its eight undergraduate campuses, UC accepted 50,291 California high school seniors for the fall class, a 4% increase from last year, according to the annual admissions figures. The systemwide numbers do not include out-of-state or international admissions, which typically make up less than 10% of the student population at UC, the state’s top public university system.

But with more students applying than ever, landing a spot was exceptionally tough this year, especially at the university’s most popular campuses. UCLA and Berkeley each turned away about three of every four students who applied, admissions officials said.

Susan Wilbur, UC’s director of undergraduate admissions, said that although the decisions for campus admissions officers were tougher than ever, the accepted students are well-prepared for university course work.

Systemwide, she said, the “unweighted” grade-point average of students admitted for the fall is 3.76, a figure that does not include the extra weight often given for honors and Advanced Placement courses.

“The good news is that students are becoming additionally well-qualified,” she said. “But the bad news, if you can call it that, is that the numbers of applications continue to grow” and admission is even more competitive than before.

A UC policy that allows consideration of personal factors as well as grades and test scores appears to have had a negligible effect, officials said. The policy is known as “comprehensive review” and took effect last year.

Another admissions change took effect this year, with UC for the first time spot-checking undergraduate applications, looking for students who lied or stretched the truth in claiming honors, extracurricular activities and even adversity.

But Wilbur said that, although analysis is incomplete, students were generally found to have been honest. The numbers for underrepresented minorities -- African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans -- have been scrutinized closely at UC since 1998, when the university instituted a ban on the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions decisions.

Through outreach efforts, UC officials have worked hard since then to boost the number of such students, which dropped sharply in the first years after the ban. UC regents later voted to remove the prohibition, but the move was mainly symbolic. A statewide initiative, Proposition 209, had been passed in 1996 that bars the use of race, ethnicity and gender in admission or hiring by any public institution.

This year, the proportion of underrepresented minorities systemwide stood at 19.8%, up from 19.1% last year, and above the 18.8% recorded in 1997, when race and ethnicity were last considered as a factor.

Across the eight campuses, Latinos represent 15.8% of California students admitted this year, African Americans make up 3.4%, and Native Americans 0.6%. About 37% of admitted freshmen are white and nearly 33% are Asian.

UC Riverside, in a continuing trend, admitted a greater proportion of underrepresented students -- 26.9% -- this year than any other UC campus.

In another trend, women continue to make up a majority of the admitted freshmen -- nearly 57%.

At UCLA, letters of admission were sent to about 10,500 students, about 23% of the record 44,941 who applied.

The figure once again made the Westwood school the most popular campus, not only in the UC system but nationwide, officials said.

The average SAT score for the admitted class was 1,333, up from 1,321 last year, UCLA admissions director Vu Tran said.

Of California residents admitted to UCLA for the fall, 2.8% were African American, down from 3.3% last year.

The percentage of Latinos was down, from 14.1% last year to 13.7% this year. Asian Americans again represent the largest share of the incoming class, about 42%, virtually unchanged from last year.

Tran said that he did not know why the proportion of African Americans had dropped this year, but that it was the first year in several that the figure had declined.

He said UCLA will continue to work with outreach groups to encourage students to apply and to enroll once accepted.

“Overall, we’re very excited that we have a lot of very high-ability students,” he said.

UC campuses will hold events to persuade those admitted to enroll.

Students have until May 1 to decide.

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UC freshman admissions

Systemwide, the University of California has admitted more underrepresented minorities than a year earlier. But their percentages declined at the most prestigious campuses, UCLA and UC Berkeley, over the same period.

*--* UC systemwide* 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 African 1,435 1,193 1,331 1,328 1,508 1,620 1,731 American Native 307 292 275 255 271 292 282 American Latino 5,494 5,084 5,607 5,753 6,801 7,316 7,922 Asian American 12,771 12,625 14,358 14,306 15,554 16,350 16,466 White 15,527 13,815 17,162 15,968 17,433 18,500 18,744 Other 941 595 795 785 826 752 833 Declined to 1,953 5,618 3,224 3,395 3,737 3,539 4,313 state Total 38,428 39,222 42,752 41,790 46,130 48,369 50,291

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*Admissions for eight undergraduate campuses: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz. Figures include California high school seniors only. Non-residents are not included.

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Source: University of California; Researched by Times staff researcher Maloy Moore