UC Berkeley Web Feature

Recruitment efforts pay off: Berkeley's fall 2006 applications set record

By Janet Gilmore, Media Relations | 07 February 2006

BERKELEY – When UC Berkeley admissions officials hit the road last fall to recruit the state's best and brightest high school students, their mantra was straightforward: We want you here. And have the courage to compete for a space in the freshman class.

Many students got the message. According to numbers released today (Tuesday, Feb. 7) by campus officials, more than 34,500 California students applied for admission to UC Berkeley's fall 2006 freshman class - a 12 percent increase over last year's numbers.

A record number of exceptionally talented students from across the state applied for admission here, including students from geographic areas that typically produce far fewer applicants. For example, campus officials saw a 21 percent increase in freshman applicants from students in the Central Valley and a 28 percent increase in applications from students in Southern California's Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

In addition, the statistics show an 18 percent increase in applications from students whose parents did not attend college and a 19 percent increase in applications from underrepresented minority students, Chicano-Latino, African American and Native American students. In fact, applications increased in every ethnic category.

Walter Robinson, the campus's director of undergraduate admissions, said admissions officials stepped up their recruitment efforts, and the work paid off. Seeking to reach new populations of talented students, admissions staff and students went to twice as many college fairs and high school visits last fall. They also partnered with alumni and lawmakers to hold receptions and other events that encourage students to learn more about UC Berkeley.

The new statistics show that, across the UC system, freshman applications from California residents increased approximately 8 percent.

Detailed statistics on UC Berkeley's application data and that of other campuses in the UC system are available online. The website includes data for both freshman and transfer applicants.