Larry Gordon of the Los Angeles Times reported that this year, admission to the University of California system is at an all-time low for in-state seniors.
One explanation is that out-of-state students pay higher tuition rates and that increased income benefits cash-strapped UCs. The percent of admitted in-state students fell to 60.6 percent in 2013, from 65.8 percent in 2012 and 69.7 percent in 2011.
UC school officials maintain that their goal is to enroll 33,500 in-state students, even though 1,354 fewer incoming freshmen were accepted this year. While the number of in-state students declined, admission officers accepted 58.2 percent of international and 53.8 percent of out-of-state students. The percent of non-Californian students who were admitted to a UC school rose nearly 21 percent from last year, from 18,846 to 22,761 students.
In all, the UC system accepted 82,850 students out of 139,915 applicants, both record-setting numbers. Due to the increasing amount of students applying, the schools turned away around 57,000 applicants from both California and out-of-state. The UC system also plans to honor its California Master Plan for Education, which guarantees a spot at a UC campus for any student who is in the top 9 percent in his or her high school or in the state.
Some students who were either wait-listed or rejected have appealed to the UC school of their choice, but the appeals results will be available in late May or early June, after seniors have registered at other schools.
“If none of my appeals get through, I’ll probably go to another school. I can get the same education I’d be able to get at a UC, and I’ll save money,” Senior Ariel Tan said. “This has taught me that it doesn’t matter where you go, it matters where you end up in life.”