Hot off the press!  We've had a chance to review the Fall 2018 admissions data released recently by the University of California and thought it would be helpful to summarize it and share our key findings.  

Overall freshman admission rates are up for non-residents and down for residents as the University of California continues to settle on a new normal that accommodates a larger mix of out of state and international students.   If you're an out of state or international student, pay close attention...there continues to be a window of opportunity to take advantage of favorable odds at several UC campuses.

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Key Findings

• Systemwide, the overall freshman admission rate decreased from 62% to 60%.   Systemwide, the overall freshman admission rate decreased from 62% to 60% as the growth in applications outpaced the growth in admittances. The average admission rate for California residents decreased from 63% to 59% year over year, while out of state and international admit rates remained essentially flat at 54% and 67%. UCLA remained the most selective campus, just ahead of Berkeley, while Irvine jumped to #3, San Diego stayed at #4 and Santa Barbara fell to #5. Davis, Santa Cruz, Riverside and Merced remained unchanged at spots 6-9.

• Admitted student mix remains steady. The mix of admitted students remained steady at 66% in-state and 34% out-of-state and international. The total number of admitted students grew by 2,000 year over year, with 55% of this growth attributable to in-state students versus 45% for out-of-state and international. Overall, California resident enrollment is expected to increase by 3,000 year over year.

• Pockets of opportunity for non-residents. While the admitted mix remained steady for the year for out-of-state and international students, campuses such as Davis, Irvine, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz continue to expand their mix of non-resident admittances.

Highlights by Campus

• Berkeley.   The overall admission rate fell from 18% to 15% in 2018 on the strength of 5% application growth and a 13% decline in the total number of admitted students.  The mix of in state admittances grew from 62% to 66% at the expense of out of state admittances.  

• Davis.   The overall admission rate fell from 44% to 41% for 2018 as application growth outpaced admitted student growth (10% vs 4%). Out of state and international applicants were admitted at rates far in excess of California residents (70% and 56% vs 34%).  Davis was one of just three campuses to report admitted student growth year over year.

• Irvine.   The overall admission rate declined precipitously from 37% to 29% on a 12% surge in applications and 12% decline in admits. Admission rates declined across the board for residents and non-residents. Out of state and international admission rates at Irvine remain higher than the resident admission rate (43% and 39% vs 25%).

• Los Angeles.   The overall admission rate declined from 16% to 14% on 11% application growth and a 3% decline in admitted students. The resident admit rate declined from 15% to 12% while non-resident admit rates generally held steady.

• Merced.   The overall admission rate declined from 75% to 71% as admitted student growth outpaced applicant growth for the year (9% vs 3%). Virtually all of the 500 additional admitted students in 2018 were California residents. The mix of out of state and international admits fell from 6% to 4% of total.  Like Davis, Merced was one of just three campuses to increase the total number of admitted students year over year.

• Riverside.   The overall admission rate declined from 58% to 51% on an 12% surge in admitted students. Residents and non-residents all experienced declines in admit rates, and the mix of California resident admits remains high at 89% of total.

• San Diego.   The overall admission rate declined from 34% to 30%, fueled by 10% application growth and a 2% decline in admitted students. The California resident admit rate declined from 31% to 27%, while the admit rate for out of state applicants held steady at 51% and admit rate for international students declined from 33% to 29%. Together, out of state and international students constituted 40% of the total admitted mix.

• Santa Barbara.   The overall admission rate declined slightly from 33% to 32% as application growth slightly outpaced admit growth (13% vs 11%). The admission rate for California residents declined from 32% to 30%, while the admit rates for non-resident applicants increased from 44% to 48% for out of state applicants and 31% to 34% for international applicants. Overall, out of state and international students grew to 33% of the total mix of admitted students, up from 31% in 2017 and 27% in 2016.  Santa Barbara was one of just three campuses to increase overall admittances year over year, and the only one to increase admittances across the board for in state, out of state and international applicants.

• Santa Cruz.   The overall admission rate declined from 55% to 48% in 2018 on the strength of 14% applicant growth. The number of admitted residents declined 14%, while out-of-state admits declined 4% and international admits grew 8%. The mix of out of state and international students grew from 29% of total admits in 2017 to 31% of total admits in 2017. Admission rates for out of state and international applicants are significantly higher at this campus than the resident admit rate (83% and 78% vs 41%).

Implications

• New normal continues.   The new normal continues as the University of California moves forward on its pledge to expand California resident enrollment and cap non-resident enrollment.  

• Pockets of opportunity persist for out of state and international applicants.   The search for improved diversity and full pay applicants to counter rising expenses should continue to create opportunity for non-residents interested in a UC education.  Not all campuses have reached their non-resident enrollment limits, and the mix of out of state and international admission rates are on the rise as selected campuses.

• Admission rate advantages exist at Davis, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz.   Decided admission rate advantages persist for out of state and international students at Davis, Irvine and Santa Cruz. Out of state advantages exist at San Diego and Santa Barbara as well.