April 10, 2000 UC Admits 42,000 students for fall 2000 By Terry Lightfoot UC Office of the President Nearly 42,000 California high school students have been admitted as freshmen to the University of California for fall 2000. See related article: UCSC sends out admissions letter to high school seniors Additional students will be admitted as the university offers a place at one of its eight undergraduate campuses to eligible California students not selected by their campus of choice. This next step will allow UC to admit all California students who have met its eligibility requirements. UC admitted 7,336 underrepresented minorities (Latino, Chicano, American Indian and African American) for fall 2000, the largest number in four years and the third consecutive annual increase. This year's total of underrepresented minority students is also higher than the 7,236 students admitted in 1997, the last year in which the university considered race and gender in its admission process. In 1997, underrepresented minority students made up 19.8 percent of all students who indicated an ethnicity, compared with 19.1 percent for fall 2000. "We are pleased to welcome these highly qualified students and, by the time the admissions process is completed in the next few weeks, we expect to meet our longstanding commitment to offer admission to all eligible California high school graduates," said UC President Richard C. Atkinson. "I am also pleased to note the increase in the number of underrepresented minority students. The university will continue its efforts to help ensure that more of these students prepare for and enroll at UC." During the last three years, UC has been engaged in an aggressive effort to inform students from all backgrounds about eligibility requirements, encourage participation in more rigorous academic courses and help prepare students to take standardized tests. Other efforts undertaken by the university, such as partnering with high schools, helping improve teacher quality and increasing access to advanced placement courses, are designed to yield long-term sustainable results for schools looking to prepare more of their students for higher education. Gender For the second consecutive year, female students make up more than 56 percent of all admitted students. Ethnicity The number of Chicano students admitted for fall 2000 is 4,373, compared with 4,227 in 1999. African-American student admissions went from 1,331 in 1999 to 1,328 for fall 2000. Latino students were unchanged at 1,380. White students declined from 19,634 to 18,444, Asian Americans from 14,358 to 14,306 and American Indians from 275 to 255. The number of students who declined to state an ethnicity increased from 3,224 to 3,395. Geography As in 1999, two-thirds of students admitted this year reside in Los Angeles and Orange counties and the San Francisco Bay Area. View informationial charts (pdf files) Admissions by ethnicity Admissions by gender and geographic location Admissions by campus and ethnicity Return to Front Page