The University of California (UC) system has achieved record-breaking enrollment numbers for California residents in Fall 2024, while its flagship campuses demonstrated resilience in maintaining diversity despite national challenges.
The nine-campus UC system enrolled 198,718 California residents this academic year, representing 84.2% of the total 236,070 undergraduate population. This marks an increase from 83.5% the previous year, reflecting the university's commitment to prioritizing in-state students.
In a notable development, UC Berkeley and UCLA successfully maintained and even increased their enrollment of Black and Latino students, contrasting with declining diversity numbers at many elite U.S. institutions following the Supreme Court's ban on affirmative action.
Berkeley, with its highly selective 11% admission rate, increased its Black student enrollment by seven students, reaching 400 (4.4% of the class). At UCLA, which admits 9% of applicants, Black student enrollment grew by 33, totaling 717 (6.9% of new students). Latino enrollment at UCLA increased by 96 students, comprising 24.7% of incoming students.
This achievement stands out against broader national trends. Among 37 top U.S. universities that released Fall 2024 data, 30 reported decreases in Black student enrollment, while 23 saw declining Latino numbers. Major institutions like Johns Hopkins, MIT, and Stanford experienced substantial drops in these demographics.
The UC system also showed growth across other metrics. Asian Americans remained the largest group at 36.3% of undergraduates, followed by Latinos at 26.7%, and white students at 19.8%. The system recorded increases in enrollment among Native American students and maintained steady numbers for Pacific Islanders.
UC President Michael V. Drake emphasized the university's dedication to expanding access and opportunity for California's talented students from all backgrounds. The enrollment data also revealed an increase in economic diversity, with 85,772 students receiving Pell Grants, marking a rise of 7,180 recipients from the previous year.
The university plans to continue expanding access for California residents, with goals to add approximately 3,000 in-state students annually through 2026-27, aligning with its commitment to serving the state's diverse population.