UC admitted its largest class of California undergraduates for fall 2025, whereas additionally sustaining a various scholar physique and growing the variety of college students who’re the first-generation of their household to attend school, in accordance with preliminary knowledge launched Monday.
The College of California additionally supplied admission to 17% extra undergraduate worldwide college students, a gaggle which has come below scrutiny from the Trump administration with elevated vetting and visa delays.
The technique in elevating worldwide scholar admits took under consideration that UC raised nonresident tuition charges final yr and that White Home actions will doubtless imply fewer foreigners will determine to check within the U.S. within the fall. The larger pool of admission provides goals to seize a big sufficient group of scholars who will enroll and convey the worldwide variety UC values — as properly increase coffers with the full-price tuition paid by non-California residents.
General, UC admitted 100,947 first-year California college students, up greater than 7% from final yr. The quantity represents the most important admitted class to the nation’s premier public college system as leaders tackle public calls for to offer extra seats to Californians — regardless of the attract of charging greater tuition to out-of-state college students throughout robust budgetary occasions.
UC is grappling with a hiring freeze, layoffs, deferred state funding, campus-level structural deficits, probably pricey union contract negotiations and discuss of tuition will increase. Questions loom over billions in federal grants amid Trump administration claw-backs and a number of federal authorities investigations probing allegations relating to antisemitism, use of race in admissions and sources of international funding.
The system-wide admission price for California first-year college students — even taking in extremely aggressive campuses together with UCLA and Berkeley — elevated to 77% from 70% final yr. General, UC supplied seats to 180,382 first-year and switch college students from California and different states and nations.
At UCLA, the nation’s most applied-to college, the admit price remained roughly the identical at 9%. UCLA supplied admission to eight,575 California first-year candidates for fall 2025, down by greater than 200 college students over final yr. Like in earlier years, the quantity represented the smallest set of provides amongst UC campuses.
Monday’s knowledge centered solely on admitted college students — not those that will find yourself accepting provides and enroll. Thus, the numbers are greater than campus capacities.
“We proceed to expertise vital development — a transparent indication that Californians acknowledge the worth of a UC diploma,” mentioned outgoing UC President Michael V. Drake. “Our newest admissions numbers reveal that households throughout our state acknowledge that UC levels put together college students for a lifetime of significant contributions of their communities and much past.”
Drake, a doctor, will depart his position on the finish of July to return to analysis and instructing. James B. Milliken, the previous College of Texas Chancellor, will substitute him.
“Creating pathways to a UC training for a variety of high California college students yields advantages not just for these college students, however for the state at massive,” mentioned Han Mi Yoon-Wu, UC affiliate vice provost and government director for undergraduate admissions. “We’re proud to supply these distinctive younger individuals a spot on the College of California.”
Racial variety continues to rise
The info launched Monday continues years-long UC traits of accelerating racial variety, first-generation college students, these from lower-income households, and transfers from California neighborhood faculties.
In recent times, UC has touted the racial and ethnic mixture of its admitted college students as a greater reflection of California demographics — whilst variety packages nationwide have come below political and authorized assault, and the Supreme Courtroom dominated in 2023 that affirmative motion in school admissions was unconstitutional.
In California, Proposition 209, authorized by voters in 1997, bans the consideration of race in admission to public training establishments. Over time UC has moved to recruit a variety of scholars and within the early 2000s, launched two main reforms. One focuses on an admission assure to top-performing college students statewide and at most California excessive colleges. The opposite evaluates candidates utilizing a complete overview course of — together with particular skills, how a scholar compares to friends of their highschool, and geographic location — along with grades and coursework.
This yr, because the Trump administration has criticized campus variety packages, UC’s messaging round admissions has been quieter about race. A press launch on admissions knowledge didn’t confer with the racial make-up of admitted college students, because it has previously a number of years — though racial knowledge was included in detailed admissions tables.
Earlier this yr, the Trump administration mentioned it was investigating UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine of utilizing “unlawful DEI” in admissions and steered the system’s school variety targets amounted to race-based hiring discrimination. The Justice Division zeroed in on a “UC 2030 Capability Plan” that charts out needs to extend variety amongst graduate college students and college, together with including 1,100 tenure-track school.
UC has vigorously defended it admissions practices and mentioned it abides by state and federal legal guidelines.
Monday’s UC knowledge confirmed will increase in admits of all racial teams: Black, Latino, Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, white and “unknown.” The expansion occurred regardless of the overall applicant pool declining barely — by lower than 1% — to 249,824.
For the sixth consecutive yr, Latinos have been the most important group of admitted first-year California college students, primarily due to their excessive numbers accepted by UC Merced and UC Riverside.
On the different seven undergraduate campuses, Asian Individuals have been the main admitted group.
General, Latinos made up 39% of first-year Californians admitted, adopted by Asian Individuals at 33%, white college students at 18%, Black college students at 6%, Native Individuals at roughly 1% — or 604 individuals — and Pacific Islanders at lower than 1% with 294 individuals.
Because it was final yr — following nationwide traits in greater training — girls admits outweighed males. Throughout UC campuses, 54% of admits for the autumn have been girls, 42% have been males. As well as, 1% have been nonbinary, lower than 1% every have been transgender males or girls, and three% have been of a unique or unknown gender id. UC Berkeley and Davis, the place 57% of admits have been girls, had the largest gender divides.
Whereas UC’s total admission knowledge confirmed will increase within the variety of college students supplied slots, the campus-by-campus knowledge different extensively.
Merced and Riverside settle for probably the most college students
Most campuses solely elevated admits by a couple of hundred or few thousand college students. The majority of admissions development was dominated by UC Merced and UC Riverside.
At Merced, UC’s latest campus, total admissions grew greater than 60% to 50,662 from 31,585 final yr. At Riverside, admissions jumped higher than 38% from 51,345 to 71,069.
A part of the rise mirrored focused recruiting for these campuses, Yoon-Wu mentioned in an interview.
“One of many adjustments this yr was specializing in college students who maybe weren’t conversant in these two campuses and getting them in as candidates early on,” she mentioned.
Merced noticed the largest development in functions this yr with a forty five% enhance to to 51,745. The second-biggest enhance was at Riverside, leaping 18% to 82,904.
Each campuses have been increasing and don’t face the identical restrictions of some high-profile UCs which might be surrounded by dense city areas with comparatively excessive housing prices, comparable to UCLA and UC Berkeley.
Riverside, which is present process housing growth, goals to enroll 35,000 college students by 2035 — a rise of roughly 9,000 from final fall. Merced has a enrollment aim of 15,000 by 2030, which might be a development of roughly 6,000 from final fall.
Merced and Riverside campuses even have the very best admission charges in UC and are among the many most numerous in the case of race, first-generation standing and scholar earnings ranges.
As well as, the campuses even have low yield charges — the share of admitted college students who select to enroll. At Merced, the general first-year scholar yield price final yr was 7%. At Riverside, it was 12%.
Systemwide, the variety of low earnings college students and those that are the primary of their household to attend school was relativity steady. Low earnings college students made up 42% of the admitted first-year California class, a 1% enhance over final yr. First era college students additionally made up 42%, a 1% lower.
The system made beneficial properties in increasing entry to California Group Faculty switch candidates. It supplied admission to 27,845 — 5.9% greater than final yr.
Development in out-of-state and worldwide acceptances
UC started including extra out-of-state college students, who pay greater tuition, after funding cuts in the course of the Nice Recession. In recent times, below public stress and amid state finances offers, it has steadily elevated California admissions and enrollment.
The newest admissions knowledge confirmed a rise of two,150 first-year admission provides to 26,191 — a development of 9% — college students who’re residents of different states. On the identical time, 3,263 extra first-year worldwide college students have been supplied seats, a rise of 17% over final yr.
UC mentioned that each numbers have been greater on account of “rising uncertainty of their chance of enrollment” and famous that share of accepted college students within the teams who select to enroll is usually “considerably decrease” than that of California residents.
Yoon-Wu mentioned there have been “many components” that contributed to the system wanting a bigger pool of nonresident admits. She famous that that value of being a non-Californian at UC has gone up. Final fall, the UC Board of Regents authorized a ten% enhance of the “nonresident” tuition price from $34,200 to $37,602.
“This yr, there’s extra uncertainty about how persons are feeling about greater training,” Yoon-Wu mentioned, including that adjustments within the Trump administration are “positively” an element on scholar minds. “Fortunately for the College of California, we’ve confirmed that getting a level from UC is a helpful choice.”
