University of California to Accept Fewer Students

Admission officers at the University of California have not finished reviewing applications for 2009. But the record number of applications that have arrived almost certainly means that more applicants than ever will be turned away.

An estimated 127,000 students applied for admission to at least one of the nine UC undergraduate campuses for the fall 2009 term, up from 121,005 last year. The 5 percent increase in applications makes 2009 the most competitive year in admissions, the Sacramento Bee reports.

The recession means that fewer students still will be admitted than during normal economic times. UC regents warned in November that this would happen when they pleaded to be spared of additional funding cuts. But last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced plans to slash $31 million from the UC system by June 2010. Those cuts are based on UC regents approving tuition increases of 9.9 percent, from $7,126 to $7, 788 a year. UC officials have said it would be difficult to give students a quality education without raising fees.

UC President Mark Yudoff has also warned that more students will be rejected from their first-choice campus. Instead, many could end up at under-enrolled campuses such as UC Merced. UC admission officials expect to send decision letters by the end of March for incoming freshmen and as late as May 1 for transfer students.

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