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San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
UC admits more California freshmen than ever — but fewer at top campuses
The University of California admitted more than 100,000 California first-year students for fall 2025 — a systemwide record — even as the most selective campuses extended fewer offers to in-state applicants. According to data released Monday by the UC Office of the President, 100,947 California residents received offers of admission, a 7.4% increase over last year's total of 93,990. The admission rate for California students rose to 77%, up from 70% in 2024. '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. Four of the UC system's nine undergraduate campuses — Merced, Riverside, Davis and Santa Cruz — accounted for the increase in first-year admissions of California students. UC Merced in particular saw a whopping 71.9% surge in admissions of in-state students, after a 45% increase in applications following several changes that made it easier for students to apply and enroll there. UC Riverside also had a robust 46% increase in admissions of California students. Admissions of in-state first-year students fell slightly at its most competitive campuses: Berkeley, UCLA, San Diego, Irvine and Santa Barbara. Systemwide, UC admitted 149,368 first-year students from a pool of 205,348 applicants, increasing the overall admission rate to 73% from 66% last year, though not all are expected to accept the offer. Offers to domestic nonresidents rose by 9%, while international offers grew by 17%, despite lower anticipated enrollment from those groups. Among California admits, 41.8% reported low family incomes, up from 40.6% last year. While the proportion of first-generation college students dipped slightly to 42.4%, the actual number rose by more than 2,300. Admissions officials attributed the increase to the university's adherence to the California Master Plan for Higher Education, which guarantees admission to a UC campus for students in the top 9% of their high school class or statewide, regardless of standardized test scores. UC Berkeley, one of the most competitive campuses, admitted approximately 14,500 first-year students — 787 more than in 2024 — from a record 126,798 applicants. The campus also admitted more than 5,600 transfer students. Among freshman admits, 68% come from California and one in four identify as first-generation students. 'At Berkeley, we seek to find the most exceptional students wherever they are in the state, country or world, and it's especially rewarding when we can offer admission to more of these incredible students,' said Olufemi Ogundele, Berkeley's associate vice chancellor and dean of enrollment, in a statement. UC Davis admitted 55,739 undergraduate students for fall 2025, an 8.6% increase over the previous year. The total includes a record 45,963 first-year admissions — up 10.4% — and 9,776 transfer admissions, a slight increase from 2024. Of those admitted, 34,088 are California residents, representing 61.1% of the admitted class. The gains in admissions support UC's broader 2030 plan, which aims to gradually expand capacity for California undergraduates over the next five years.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Under pressure, UC admits a record number of Californians; racial diversity remains strong
UC admitted its largest class of California undergraduates for fall 2025, while also maintaining a diverse student body and increasing the number of students who are the first-generation in their family to attend college, according to preliminary data released Monday. The University of California also offered admission to 17% more undergraduate international students, a group which has come under scrutiny from the Trump administration with increased vetting and visa delays. The strategy in raising international student admits took into account that UC raised nonresident tuition fees last year and that White House actions will likely mean fewer foreigners will decide to study in the U.S. in the fall. The bigger pool of admission offers aims to capture a large enough group of students who will enroll and bring the international diversity UC values — as well boost coffers with the full-price tuition paid by non-California residents. Overall, UC admitted 100,947 first-year California students, up more than 7% from last year. The number represents the largest admitted class to the nation's premier public university system as leaders address public demands to give more seats to Californians — despite the allure of charging higher tuition to out-of-state students during tough budgetary times. UC is grappling with a hiring freeze, layoffs, deferred state funding, campus-level structural deficits, potentially costly union contract negotiations and talk of tuition increases. Questions loom over billions in federal grants amid Trump administration claw-backs and multiple federal government investigations probing allegations regarding antisemitism, use of race in admissions and sources of foreign funding. The system-wide admission rate for California first-year students — even taking in highly competitive campuses including UCLA and Berkeley — increased to 77% from 70% last year. Overall, UC offered seats to 180,382 first-year and transfer students from California and other states and nations. At UCLA, the nation's most applied-to university, the admit rate remained roughly the same at 9%. UCLA offered admission to 8,575 California first-year applicants for fall 2025, down by more than 200 students over last year. Like in previous years, the number represented the smallest set of offers among UC campuses. Monday's data focused only on admitted students — not those who will end up accepting offers and enroll. Thus, the numbers are higher than campus capacities. 'We continue to experience significant growth — a clear indication that Californians recognize the value of a UC degree,' said outgoing UC President Michael V. Drake. 'Our latest admissions numbers demonstrate that families across our state recognize that UC degrees prepare students for a lifetime of meaningful contributions in their communities and far beyond.' Drake, a physician, will leave his role at the end of July to return to research and teaching. James B. Milliken, the former University of Texas Chancellor, will replace him. 'Creating pathways to a UC education for a wide range of top California students yields benefits not only for those students, but for the state at large,' said Han Mi Yoon-Wu, UC associate vice provost and executive director for undergraduate admissions. 'We are proud to offer these exceptional young people a place at the University of California.' The data released Monday continues years-long UC trends of increasing racial diversity, first-generation students, those from lower-income families, and transfers from California community colleges. In recent years, UC has touted the racial and ethnic mix of its admitted students as a better reflection of California demographics — even as diversity programs nationwide have come under political and legal attack, and the Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that affirmative action in college admissions was unconstitutional. In California, Proposition 209, approved by voters in 1997, bans the consideration of race in admission to public education institutions. Over the years UC has moved to recruit a diversity of students and in the early 2000s, launched two major reforms. One focuses on an admission guarantee to top-performing students statewide and at most California high schools. The other evaluates applicants using a comprehensive review process — including special talents, how a student compares to peers in their high school, and geographic location — in addition to grades and coursework. This year, as the Trump administration has criticized campus diversity programs, UC's messaging around admissions has been quieter about race. A press release on admissions data did not refer to the racial make-up of admitted students, as it has in the past several years — although racial data was included in detailed admissions tables. Earlier this year, the Trump administration said it was investigating UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine of using 'illegal DEI' in admissions and suggested the system's faculty diversity goals amounted to race-based hiring discrimination. The Justice Department zeroed in on a 'UC 2030 Capacity Plan' that charts out desires to increase diversity among graduate students and faculty, including adding 1,100 tenure-track faculty. UC has vigorously defended it admissions practices and said it abides by state and federal laws. Monday's UC data showed increases in admits of all racial groups: Black, Latino, Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, white and 'unknown.' The growth happened despite the total applicant pool declining slightly — by less than 1% — to 249,824. For the sixth consecutive year, Latinos were the largest group of admitted first-year California students, primarily because of their high numbers accepted by UC Merced and UC Riverside. At the other seven undergraduate campuses, Asian Americans were the leading admitted group. Overall, Latinos made up 39% of first-year Californians admitted, followed by Asian Americans at 33%, white students at 18%, Black students at 6%, Native Americans at roughly 1% — or 604 people — and Pacific Islanders at less than 1% with 294 people. As it was last year — following national trends in higher education — women admits outweighed men. Across UC campuses, 54% of admits for the fall were women, 42% were men. In addition, 1% were nonbinary, less than 1% each were transgender men or women, and 3% were of a different or unknown gender identity. UC Berkeley and Davis, where 57% of admits were women, had the biggest gender divides. While UC's overall admission data showed increases in the number of students offered slots, the campus-by-campus data varied widely. Most campuses only increased admits by a few hundred or few thousand students. The bulk of admissions growth was dominated by UC Merced and UC Riverside. At Merced, UC's newest campus, overall admissions grew more than 60% to 50,662 from 31,585 last year. At Riverside, admissions jumped greater than 38% from 51,345 to 71,069. Part of the increase reflected targeted recruiting for those campuses, Yoon-Wu said in an interview. 'One of the changes this year was focusing on students who perhaps were not familiar with those two campuses and getting them in as applicants early on,' she said. Merced saw the biggest growth in applications this year with a 45% increase to to 51,745. The second-biggest increase was at Riverside, jumping 18% to 82,904. Both campuses have been expanding and do not face the same restrictions of some high-profile UCs that are surrounded by dense urban areas with relatively high housing costs, such as UCLA and UC Berkeley. Riverside, which is undergoing housing expansion, aims to enroll 35,000 students by 2035 — an increase of roughly 9,000 from last fall. Merced has a enrollment goal of 15,000 by 2030, which would be a growth of roughly 6,000 from last fall. Merced and Riverside campuses also have the highest admission rates in UC and are among the most diverse when it comes to race, first-generation status and student income levels. In addition, the campuses also have low yield rates — the percentage of admitted students who choose to enroll. At Merced, the overall first-year student yield rate last year was 7%. At Riverside, it was 12%. Systemwide, the number of low income students and those who are the first in their family to attend college was relativity stable. Low income students made up 42% of the admitted first-year California class, a 1% increase over last year. First generation students also made up 42%, a 1% decrease. The system made gains in expanding access to California Community College transfer applicants. It offered admission to 27,845 — 5.9% more than last year. UC began adding more out-of-state students, who pay higher tuition, after funding cuts during the Great Recession. In recent years, under public pressure and amid state budget deals, it has steadily increased California admissions and enrollment. The latest admissions data showed an increase of 2,150 first-year admission offers to 26,191 — a growth of 9% — students who are residents of other states. At the same time, 3,263 more first-year international students were offered seats, an increase of 17% over last year. UC said that both numbers were higher due to 'rising uncertainty of their likelihood of enrollment' and noted that share of accepted students in the groups who choose to enroll is generally 'substantially lower' than that of California residents. Yoon-Wu said there were 'many factors' that contributed to the system wanting a larger pool of nonresident admits. She noted that that cost of being a non-Californian at UC has gone up. Last fall, the UC Board of Regents approved a 10% increase of the 'nonresident' tuition fee from $34,200 to $37,602. 'This year, there is more uncertainty about how people are feeling about higher education,' Yoon-Wu said, adding that changes in the Trump administration are 'definitely' a factor on student minds. 'Luckily for the University of California, we have proven that getting a degree from UC is a valuable decision.'
Korea Herald
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Republicans urge US universities to cut ties with China-backed scholarship program
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are urging seven US universities to cut ties with a Chinese scholarship program that lawmakers call a 'nefarious mechanism' to steal technology for the Chinese government. In letters to Dartmouth College, the University of Notre Dame and five other universities, leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party raise concerns about the schools' partnerships with the China Scholarship Council, a study abroad program funded by China. The program sponsors hundreds of Chinese graduate students every year at US universities. After graduating, they're required to return to China for two years. In the letters sent Tuesday, Republicans described it as a threat to national security. 'CSC purports to be a joint scholarship program between US and Chinese institutions; however, in reality it is a CCP-managed technology transfer effort that exploits US institutions and directly supports China's military and scientific growth,' wrote Republican Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the committee. The Chinese Embassy didn't immediately respond to a request by The Associated Press for comment. Dartmouth said Wednesday it has had fewer than 10 participants in the program over the last decade and already had decided to end its participation. Notre Dame said it began the process of terminating its association with the program earlier this year. University of Tennessee said it had also received the letter and was reviewing the committee's request. Letters also were sent to Temple University and the University of California campuses in Davis, Irvine and Riverside. The office of the University of California's president, Dr. Michael V. Drake, said the university follows all federal laws and works with the government to protect sensitive research. 'At the same time, we believe that international students and global academic partnerships are critical to scientific progress, economic growth, and our educational mission,' Drake's office said in a statement. The House committee said it's opening a review into the program's 'infiltration' of US universities and demanded records related to the program from all seven institutions. The universities' partnerships with the council can bring up to 15 graduate students a year to Dartmouth, along with up to 60 at Temple and 40 at Notre Dame, according to the letters. Some schools split the cost of attendance with China. Dartmouth, for instance, covers 50 percent of tuition and provides a stipend to doctoral students. Among other records, lawmakers are demanding documents showing whether scholarship recipients worked on research funded by the US government. President Donald Trump and House Republicans have stepped up scrutiny of Chinese students coming to the US. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would revoke visas from some Chinese students studying in 'critical fields.' During his first term, Trump restricted visas for students affiliated with China's 'military-civil fusion strategy.' Many US universities acknowledge a need to improve research security but caution against treating Chinese scholars with hostility and suspicion, saying only small numbers have been involved in espionage. China is the second-largest country of origin for foreign students in the US, behind only India. In the 2023-24 academic year, more than 270,000 international students were from China, making up roughly a quarter of all foreign students in the US. For a majority of them, their college tuition is paid by their families, rather than by the Chinese government. Many stay to work in the US, while some return to China after graduation. Moolenaar has made it a priority to end partnerships between US universities and China. In May, he pressed Duke University to cut its ties with a Chinese university, saying it allowed Chinese students to gain access to federally funded research at Duke. Under pressure from the committee, Eastern Michigan University ended a partnership with two Chinese universities in June. Last year, House Republicans issued a report finding that hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding had gone toward research that ultimately boosted Chinese advancements in artificial intelligence, semiconductor technology and nuclear weapons. The report argued China's academic collaborations served as a 'Trojan horses for technology transfer,' accusing China of 'insidious' exploitation of academic cooperation.
Chicago Tribune
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Republicans urge US universities to cut ties with China-backed scholarship program
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are urging seven U.S. universities to cut ties with a Chinese scholarship program that lawmakers call a 'nefarious mechanism' to steal technology for the Chinese government. In letters to Dartmouth College, the University of Notre Dame and five other universities, leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party raise concerns about the schools' partnerships with the China Scholarship Council, a study abroad program funded by China. The program sponsors hundreds of Chinese graduate students every year at U.S. universities. After graduating, they're required to return to China for two years. In the letters sent Tuesday, Republicans described it as a threat to national security. 'CSC purports to be a joint scholarship program between U.S. and Chinese institutions; however, in reality it is a CCP-managed technology transfer effort that exploits U.S. institutions and directly supports China's military and scientific growth,' wrote Republican Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the committee. The Chinese Embassy didn't immediately respond to a request by The Associated Press for comment. Dartmouth said Wednesday it has had fewer than 10 participants in the program over the last decade and already had decided to end its participation. Notre Dame said it began the process of terminating its association with the program earlier this year. University of Tennessee said it had also received the letter and was reviewing the committee's request. Letters also were sent to Temple University and the University of California campuses in Davis, Irvine and Riverside. The office of the University of California's president, Dr. Michael V. Drake, said the university follows all federal laws and works with the government to protect sensitive research. 'At the same time, we believe that international students and global academic partnerships are critical to scientific progress, economic growth, and our educational mission,' Drake's office said in a statement. The House committee said it's opening a review into the program's 'infiltration' of U.S. universities and demanded records related to the program from all seven institutions. The universities' partnerships with the council can bring up to 15 graduate students a year to Dartmouth, along with up to 60 at Temple and 40 at Notre Dame, according to the letters. Some schools split the cost of attendance with China. Dartmouth, for instance, covers 50% of tuition and provides a stipend to doctoral students. Among other records, lawmakers are demanding documents showing whether scholarship recipients worked on research funded by the U.S. government. President Donald Trump and House Republicans have stepped up scrutiny of Chinese students coming to the U.S. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would revoke visas from some Chinese students studying in 'critical fields.' During his first term, Trump restricted visas for students affiliated with China's 'military-civil fusion strategy.' Many U.S. universities acknowledge a need to improve research security but caution against treating Chinese scholars with hostility and suspicion, saying only small numbers have been involved in espionage. China is the second-largest country of origin for foreign students in the U.S., behind only India. In the 2023-24 academic year, more than 270,000 international students were from China, making up roughly a quarter of all foreign students in the United States. For a majority of them, their college tuition is paid by their families, rather than by the Chinese government. Many stay to work in the U.S., while some return to China after graduation. Moolenaar has made it a priority to end partnerships between U.S. universities and China. In May, he pressed Duke University to cut its ties with a Chinese university, saying it allowed Chinese students to gain access to federally funded research at Duke. Under pressure from the committee, Eastern Michigan University ended a partnership with two Chinese universities in June. Last year, House Republicans issued a report finding that hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding had gone toward research that ultimately boosted Chinese advancements in artificial intelligence, semiconductor technology and nuclear weapons. The report argued China's academic collaborations served as a 'Trojan horses for technology transfer,' accusing China of 'insidious' exploitation of academic cooperation.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UC sees the good in faculty diversity. Trump's DOJ says it 'may be' illegal discrimination
The Trump administration said Thursday that it is opening an investigation into UC, alleging that university goals to increase faculty diversity "may be" illegal sex- and race-based hiring discrimination. In a brief, 419-word letter to UC President Michael V. Drake, the Justice Department's top civil rights lawyer said it had "reasonable cause" to believe that UC has "certain employment practices that discriminate against employees, job applicants, and training program participants based on race and sex." The letter pointed to an ambitious UC plan to add at least 20,000 students by 2030 — while increasing graduation rates, the share of students who receive undergraduate diplomas within four years, and access to UC campuses for racial minorities and other minority groups that have historically been underrepresented in higher education. UC announced the plan in 2021 and later increased the enrollment goal to up to 33,000 if enough resources, such as funding, became available. Read more: California violated civil rights of female students by allowing trans athletes to compete, feds say The Justice Department appeared to zero in on small sections of the extensive "UC 2030 Capacity Plan" that chart out desires to increase diversity among graduate students and faculty, including adding 1,100 tenure-track faculty. Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, wrote that the plan may have "precipitated unlawful action by the University of California and some or all its constituent campuses." In a statement, the Justice Department added that UC "directs its campuses to hire 'diverse' faculty members to meet race- and sex-based employment quotas," alleging a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Dhillon added: "It is important to note that we have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter." Although the UC goals make clear the university's ambition to increase diversity, they do not stipulate hiring quotas. Since 2020, UC Regents — the governor-appointed board of directors — have also formally banned using quotas based on race and gender. That move came as Californians debated Proposition 16, which would have reversed the state's affirmative action prohibition but failed to pass. In a statement Thursday, a UC spokesperson said the university abides by the law and would cooperate with the investigation. "The University of California is committed to fair and lawful processes in all of our programs and activities, consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws," said Senior Director of Strategic and Critical Communications Rachel Zaentz. "The university also aims to foster a campus environment where everyone is welcomed and supported," she said. "We will work in good faith with the Department of Justice as it conducts its investigation." Read more: UC Berkeley law professors take on a case for colleagues: Fighting Trump research cuts The investigation is the second UC hiring probe launched by the Trump administration, part of its aggressive drive to take action against universities it alleges are giving preference to Black, Latino and other racial, ethnic or religious groups over Asian, white and Jewish students, staff and employees. Trump has also ordered an end to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in education institutions that receive federal funds, resulting in court challenges. In March, the Justice Department launched an investigation into whether UC 'engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, religion and national origin against its professors, staff and other employees by allowing an antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campuses." It was based upon faculty petitions and complaints that accused the university of abetting alleged antisemitism last year during pro-Palestinian encampments calling on UC to divest from financial ties to Israel's war in Gaza. Both investigations employ a "pattern or practice" probe of campuses based on federal anti-discrimination law, a method of civil rights enforcement used during Democratic administrations to respond to racism allegations against police departments. Also in March, the Justice Department accused UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine of using "illegal DEI" in admissions, likely referring to affirmative action. The Department of Health and Human Services is also investigating UCLA's medical school over alleged discrimination in admissions. The university has denied such actions. Zaentz has said UC stopped using race in admissions when Proposition 209 — which bans consideration of race in public education, hiring and contracting — went into effect in 1997. Since then, 'UC has implemented admissions practices to comply with the law,' she said in March. Two UC campuses — Los Angeles and Berkeley — are on a list of 10 campuses that a federal task force to combat antisemitism has said it is researching. The task force has played a significant role in pulling billions in federal funding from Harvard and Columbia universities over allegations that they promoted antisemitism. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
