The University of California today (Feb. 24) announced that it has received a total of 245,768 applications (206,405 for freshman admission and 39,363 applications for transfer admission) for fall 2023 admission. Interest in the University from California students remained strong, with application numbers tracking closely to the levels set in previous years. Additionally, applications from many segments of traditionally underrepresented California freshmen students continued to increase.
“The University of California received an impressive number of applications for admission from prospective students this year. This is a testament to the University’s continued reputation as a premier center of higher learning,” said Michael V. Drake, M.D., president of the University of California. “A UC education prepares students for the future, positions them for expanded opportunities and encourages them to have a positive impact on their communities.”
Following two consecutive cycles of record-breaking undergraduate application growth, the University maintained strong numbers for freshman and transfer admission, though many campuses experienced slight declines, particularly among international and out-of-state freshmen and transfer applications. For fall 2023 admission, the University saw a 2.2 percent decrease (-5,411 applications) in total applications from the fall 2022 admissions cycle, where the University received 251,179 total applications (210,840 freshmen and 40,339 transfer). The largest decrease in applications was from nonresident (out-of-state and international) freshmen and transfer applicants (-4,632).
The University saw growth in applications from many underrepresented groups. The proportion of these students in the California freshman applicant pool grew nearly 1 percentage point, 46.3 percent this year compared to 45.5 percent last year. Applications from Chicano/Latino students rose by 2.2 percent (+1,098), from Pacific Islander students by 3.3 percent (+13), and by 9.1 percent among American Indian students (+69).
The University of California also saw reduced applications numbers from California Community College (CCC) students, in line with enrollment declines at community colleges across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications from this population decreased by 3.7 percent (-1,141) from fall 2022’s total (30,936), decreasing to 29,795 in 2023.
“Each year, the University of California extends admission offers to applicants with diverse experiences, intellectual curiosity, and the drive to succeed. This year will be no different,” said Han Mi Yoon-Wu, executive director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of California. “We will continue to work with our colleagues at the California Community Colleges and with partner organizations to ensure that the University recruits an applicant pool that mirrors California and maintains its world-class education for our undergraduates.”
The proportion of underrepresented domestic CCC transfer applicants decreased by 0.2 percentage points, from 39.1 percent of applicants in 2022 to 38.9 percent for the fall 2023 admissions cycle (-490). However, applications from American Indian CCC transfer students rose 19 percent from last year (+45).
The socioeconomic diversity of the California applicant pool remained stable. The University received nearly the same proportion of first-generation applications as in the 2022 applications cycle, at 45 percent (-471). California resident applicants with low-family income declined from 48 percent to 47 percent (-1,988) from the fall 2022 application cycle.
Additional details about the University of California’s fall 2023 applicants to the University can be found here, along with preliminary campus-by-campus breakdowns.