UC Irvine is a popular campus among Asian American students
The highly touted University of California system, the largest in the United States, is admitting one of its most diverse classes of freshmen and transfer students with Asian Americans and Latinx students leading the way.
Asian American first-year students make up 35% of the students offered admisstion — about the same as last year — even though that ethnic group makes up only 7% of the state’s population.
However, for the first time, Chicanx/Latinx students now comprise the largest ethnic group of admitted freshmen, making up 36% of admitted freshmen, up from 34% last year.
“This has been an incredibly challenging time as many students have been making their college decision in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said UC President Janet Napolitano. “UC continues to see increased admissions of underrepresented students as we seek to educate a diverse student body of future leaders. The incoming class will be one of our most talented and diverse yet, and UC is proud to invite them to join us.”
The proportion of African American students inched higher from 4.8% to 5% and American Indian students remained at 0.5%. White students decreased by a percentage point to 21% of admitted freshmen.
Overall, offers to California freshmen from underrepresented groups increased by 4,678 for a total of 33,225, an increase of 16% from last year.
Total admission of California Community College (CCC) students posted a high-water mark for 2020. Admitted CCC transfer students from underrepresented groups increased by 756 for a total of 9,640, an increase of 9 percent over last year.
It will be late summer before UC officials know how many students who accepted admission offers will enroll. For now, it looks promising, with officials anticipating no more than a minor drop in anticipated new student enrollment.
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“Asian American first-year students make up 35% of the students offered admisstion — about the same as last year — even though that ethnic group makes up only 7% of the state’s population.”
Some of the Asian American students may be from out-of-state.