UC Admits More California Students for Fall, But Most Selective Campuses Offer Fewer Spots

The University of California offered admission to a larger number of California residents for the coming fall term than it did a year earlier, though the increase did not extend to its most competitive campuses, according to figures the system released Monday.

In total, UC admitted 149,368 first-year students. Of those, 100,947 are Californians, a 7% rise in in-state admits compared with fall 2024. The systemwide admission rate stood at 77% for California residents and 73% for all applicants, each up 7% from the previous year.

The growth was driven largely by the Merced and Riverside campuses, with smaller contributions from Davis and Santa Cruz. Merced admitted 17,481 more first-year Californians than a year ago, a 72% jump. Riverside offered spots to just under 17,000 in-state students, 46% more than for fall 2024. Other campuses, including UCLA and Berkeley, admitted fewer. Berkeley's in-state first-year offers fell 8% and UCLA's dropped 2.4%, with modest declines also at Irvine, San Diego and Santa Barbara. The article noted that a far larger share of admitted students choose to enroll at those selective campuses than at Merced and Riverside, where only a small percentage of accepted students end up attending.

Among first-year Californians, the number of admitted Black, Latino, Asian and white students all rose systemwide. Most campuses also admitted more students from other states and countries, as well as more transfer students from community colleges. The system accepted 27,845 California community college transfers, a 6% increase, and Berkeley was among the campuses that admitted more of them.

UC has been under pressure from lawmakers to open more places to state residents. As part of an agreement with Gov. Gavin Newsom, the system committed to enrolling more Californians in return for annual budget increases. This year's funding increase, however, was deferred and will be paid in later years.

"We continue to experience significant growth — a clear indication that Californians recognize the value of a UC degree," UC President Michael V. Drake said in a statement. Han Mi Yoon-Wu, UC's associate vice provost and executive director for undergraduate admissions, said creating pathways for a wide range of top California students benefits both those students and the state.

Offers to students from outside California rose sharply. UC admitted 2,150 more domestic out-of-state students than last year, a 9% increase, and 3,263 more international students, a 17% gain. Out-of-state students pay significantly higher tuition than California residents, and will pay more this fall, which could help the system as it faces state budget uncertainty and federal funding cuts.

In a press release, UC said the larger number of offers to international students was "due to rising uncertainty of their likelihood of enrolling." Many experts and college staff in California and across the country worry that international students may be less likely to enroll this fall for fear the Trump administration could cancel their visas.

Earlier this year, the administration abruptly terminated the visas of more than 1,500 international students nationwide, including many in California. It later reversed those terminations but said at the time that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was "developing a policy that will provide a framework" for visa terminations.