The University of California system has offered admission to a record number of California residents for the upcoming academic year, amid ongoing scrutiny of its admissions policies. UC extended offers to 102,031 California first-year students for fall enrollment, an increase of 1,458 from the previous year. Transfer admissions from California community colleges also reached a new high, with 29,372 offers made, a 6% increase over last year. Overall, UC admitted 78% of California residents who applied as first-year students, though acceptance rates varied significantly by campus.

The nine-campus undergraduate system reported that UC Berkeley and UCLA remained the most selective, each admitting roughly one in 10 applicants, while campuses such as UC Davis accepted nearly half of its applicants and UC Merced admitted almost all applicants meeting academic requirements. This pattern reflects the system’s commitment to increasing enrollment as part of a compact with the state, which ties funding to growth in the number of California residents attending. UC is on track to meet its goal of enrolling 217,000 California undergraduates by 2030, up from 200,532 last year.

These admissions figures come amid ongoing federal investigations focused on the use of race in admissions. The U.S. Department of Justice opened inquiries earlier this year into practices at Berkeley, Irvine, and UCLA, and has also accused several UC medical schools of racial bias in favor of Black and Latino applicants, allegations the university denies. California law bars affirmative action in public university admissions, and UC maintains it complies fully with this ban.

The racial and ethnic makeup of admitted students showed minimal change from last year. The share of Latino students, the largest demographic group at 38%, decreased slightly by 37 students, while Black, Asian, and white populations rose marginally. Campus-specific data highlighted more considerable shifts: Berkeley admitted 17% fewer Black California students than last year, and San Diego’s Latino admits fell by 10%, while its Asian admits increased. Conversely, UC Santa Cruz saw a 45% increase in Black student admits. UC also reported a rise to 43% in admitted students from low-income families, though this partly results from a higher income threshold used in the latest calculation.

Transfer students continue to be an essential component of UC’s enrollment strategy. Community colleges remain the primary pipeline, with campuses like Berkeley admitting over 93% of their transfer students from California community colleges. UC Riverside also reported a 13% increase in transfer admits, reflecting efforts to rebuild transfer pipelines particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

International student admissions rose for the third consecutive year, with 23,569 offers made, a 6% increase from 2024. However, campus officials noted that stricter visa regulations and federal policies have reduced the yield of admitted international students who ultimately enroll. Some campuses, including Riverside, Berkeley, and San Diego, reduced international admissions due to these challenges, while Santa Barbara increased its international admits significantly.

While the overall number of applications from California residents declined slightly by 496, the system’s growth in admissions reflects targeted recruitment and efforts to broaden access to the university system across the state. Several campuses have begun inviting students who initially did not select them on their applications to add the school later in the process, expanding opportunities at campuses like Riverside, Merced, and Santa Cruz.

University officials emphasized UC’s ongoing commitment to providing educational opportunities for California students from diverse backgrounds while preparing future leaders. The distribution of offers across campuses and demographic groups continues to be carefully monitored in the broader context of legal scrutiny and changing state and federal policies.