Back to School: Meet the new students
Campus officials estimate that about 23,400 new and continuing undergraduate students will register this fall along, with about 9,500 new and continuing graduate students. Final registration numbers will be available later in the semester.
The oldest incoming student who indicated plans to register this fall is 77; the youngest is 12.
 New students gather on the lawn of University House, the chancellor's residence, to meet and greet their classmates. (Steve McConnell photo) |
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New Freshmen
An estimated 3,640 freshmen are expected to register this
fall, essentially the same number as last year.
The ethnic breakdown of this group is projected to be about 44 percent Asian American; 30 percent white; 11 percent Chicano/Latino; 8 percent who declined to state their ethnicity; 4 percent African American; 1 percent “other;” and 0.5 percent American Indian.
Estimates show that women will represent about 54 percent of the freshman class, up slightly from last fall.
The new freshman class is one of the strongest ever. These incoming students generally scored higher than those in the previous freshman class on standardized tests, had higher grade point averages, and took more honors and AP courses. And more of them, about 35 percent, participated in an outreach program while in high school.
Overall, 85 percent of the new freshmen come from public high schools. About 30 percent of them are first-generation college students. The percentage of underrepresented minority students who are entering freshmen will be approximately the same as last year, about 16 percent of the class.
Geographically, just over 90 percent of the freshmen are from California, 7 percent reside in other states, and about 2 percent hail from foreign countries. Of the Californians, roughly 37 percent of the freshmen are from the San Francisco Bay Area; 16 percent from other Northern California areas; 25 percent from Los Angeles County; and 22 percent from other Southern California areas.
New Transfer Students
The number of new transfer students, most of them from
California community colleges, is estimated at 1,625.
The group’s ethnic breakdown is expected to be roughly 38 percent white; 25 percent Asian American; 14 percent Chicano/Latino; 13 percent who declined to state their ethnicity; 4 percent African American; 3 percent Filipino; 2.5 percent “other;” and 0.8 percent American Indian.
New Graduate Students
About 2,800 new graduate students are expected to enroll
this fall compared to 2,737 last fall. Campus officials
believe the economic downturn may be a factor. Slightly
fewer students were admitted this fall – 5,667
this fall versus 5,700 last fall – but more of
the admitted students have indicated plans to enroll.
Women are projected to represent about 47 percent of the
new graduate students.