More than 112,000 students — with more diverse geographic, ethnic and racial backgrounds than last year’s applicants — have applied for admission to UCLA for fall 2015.
That number, which again makes UCLA the nation’s most applied-to four-year university, comprises 92,681 freshman applicants and 20,063 transfer applicants.
The number of applications is 6.5 percent higher than last year (a 7.2 percent increase among freshman applicants and 3.7 percent for transfers). Applications also surged among California, out-of-state and international applicants.
There were also increases among virtually all racial and ethnic groups, with healthy jumps among groups that traditionally have been underrepresented at UCLA. The number of applications from African-Americans increased by 13 percent from last year while the number from Chicano/Latino students grew by 5.6 percent. There was a slight dip in the number of applications from Native Americans, although the number of Native American applicants is higher now than it was three years ago.
The numbers of applications from Asian-Americans and white students were 4.8 percent and 5.4 percent higher, respectively.
“The data shows that expanding our recruiting efforts is paying off,” said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, UCLA’s associate vice chancellor for enrollment management. “The robust increase in the diversity of our applicants is the result of our concerted efforts to reach out to rural communities, underserved communities, large urban areas where there’s evidence of talent, and indeed every community in California.”
In addition to the growth in the number of applications this year, the quality of UCLA’s applicants — as measured by traditional indicators of academic excellence, such as GPA and admission test scores — also increased.
UCLA continued to attract large numbers of California students who would be the first in their family to graduate from a four-year college (41.2 percent of all applicants) and students from low-income families (38.1 percent).
To evaluate applicants, UCLA uses a comprehensive, holistic review process that ensures a thorough review of each application and takes into account the context of each applicant’s educational and personal experiences.
Freshman applicants will be notified of UCLA’s admission decisions by April 1, and admitted students will have until May 1 to notify the campus of their intention to register. Transfer students will be notified of admission decisions by April 30 and will have until June 1 to commit.
Tables with system-wide application statistics and data for all nine UC undergraduate campuses are posted at the University of California Office of the President website.
