Berkeley, Calif. (KRON) — After setting a school record last year for freshman applications received, the University of California, Berkeley broke its own record again this year.
More than 128,100 students applied for a spot in the Fall 2022 freshman class — a 13% increase from the year before, the university announced Thursday.
The record-breaking application numbers in the last two years could be due to the University of California dropping its SAT/ACT testing requirement in 2020 for all campuses– making it easier for hopeful high school students to apply.
Cal is known for a student body of many different racial/ethnic groups from around the globe, including first-generation students, according to the school.
That trend continued to increase in this year’s latest pool of applicants: both for freshmen and transfers.
Significant increases in UC Berkeley total applications, according to campus officials:
- Native Americans: up 50%
- Filipinos: up 15%
- Chicano/Latino: up about 14%
There was also a 134% increase in applicants who identified as genderqueer or gender non-conforming.
Overall, the nine-school UC system had a 0.5% increase in freshman applications but a 13% decrease in transfer applications.
UC Berkeley’s transfer applications went down to 19,300 this year possibly due to statewide pandemic-related decline in community college enrollment, according to campus officials.
“In a year where we saw application numbers across the nation decline, the entire UC saw increases. Here at Berkeley, we saw even more of an increase than our peers. The diversity of our applicant pool continues to be strong, and we remain a top choice for incredibly talented scholars.”
Olufemi Ogundele, UC Berkeley’s associate vice chancellor of enrollment management and dean of undergraduate admissions
UC Berkeley’s full press release can be seen here.