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They're Coming to Berkeley Students Enrolling This Fall Represent Cross-Section of Talent, Slight Increase in Ethnic Minorities By Janet Gilmore, Public Affairs Posted June 9, 1999 More than 3,600 students from a broad cross-section of the state have reported their plans to enroll in the fall 1999 freshman class, campus officials announced May 25. The students represent many counties across the state, a wide range of household incomes and a mixture of urban, rural and suburban school districts. They come from 48 of the state's 58 counties. Compared to last year, the new class covers a slightly broader regional representation, with a growing percentage of freshmen coming from areas outside of Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area -- though those major metropolitan areas continue to provide roughly 60 percent of the projected freshman enrollment. Campus officials mailed admissions letters to accepted students on March 31. Students had until May 1 to sign and return a Statement of Intent to Register. Throughout the month of April, administrators, faculty, students and staff intensified a recruitment drive aimed at encouraging students to enroll at Berkeley. The 1999 freshman class, which is expected to be comparable in size to the previous year's class, will include a slight, across-the-board increase in all ethnic groups. The only drop in numbers occurred among students who did not state their ethnicity. "I am pleased that UC Berkeley continues to attract a wide cross-section of exceptionally talented students," said Chancellor Berdahl. "I look forward to welcoming the students in this class to our campus where I believe they will enjoy an extraordinary experience." Asian American students are expected to make up 44.8 percent of the campus's freshman population, up from 42.8 percent projected for fall 1998. White students are expected to comprise 31.5 percent of the fall freshman population, up from 30.3 percent. Underrepresented minority students are expected to make up 13.2 percent of the fall 1999 freshman enrollment, up from 10.5 percent. The number of underrepresented minority freshman students expected to enroll in the fall has increased from 376 students projected at this point last year, for fall 1998, to 471 projected for fall 1999. The final registration count for underrepresented students for the fall 1998 semester was 411. Campus administrators were encouraged by the moderate increase in underrepresented minority students, which includes African American, Chicano, Latino and American Indian students. But they also noted that the overall figure remains below the 776 minority students who stated their intent to register for fall 1997, the last admissions cycle before California banned the consideration of race and ethnicity in the college admissions process.   [HOME]   [SEARCH]   [ARCHIVE] June 9 - July 13, 1999 (Volume 27, Number 35) Copyright 1999, The Regents of the University of California. Produced and maintained by the Office of Public Affairs at UC Berkeley. Comments? E-mail berkeleyan@pa.urel.berkeley.edu.