BERKELEY (KRON) — University of California, Berkeley has offered admission to more than 13,300 students for the 2015-16 freshman class, amid a spike in applications, UC officials said Thursday.

While the number of freshmen applications grew by 7 percent, the number of available seats remained largely unchanged, according to admissions officials.

Figures show a total of 78,918 students applied to enter the freshman class. And of those, 13,321 were accepted. That’s compared to last year, when the university received 73,753 applications, and 13,286 students were offered admission. The latest figures drop UC Berkeley’s admissions rate to 17 percent, down 1 percent from last year.

Officials say the pool of admitted UC Berkeley freshmen is made up of students from across the state and around the globe. The university says the students have not only achieved academic success but also have a broad cross-section of interests, cultural backgrounds, and talents in areas including sports and the arts.

“Every year, we offer admission to exceptionally talented students who work hard to gain admission to Berkeley, but this year was definitely more competitive than years past,” said Amy Jarich, UC Berkeley’s associate vice chancellor and director of undergraduate admission. “Because of the high demand for a UC Berkeley education and the academic strength of the students who apply, we are the most selective public university in America, excluding the military academies. We have to make tough choices.”

Figures show California residents make up almost 66 percent of the students offered freshman admission.

They come from 52 of the state’s 58 counties. UC officials say the others are from 55 states and U.S. territories, with the most representation from Texas, New York, New Jersey, Florida and Washington state. Internationally, the prospective freshman include students from 90 countries. Most of those students live in China, South Korea, India, Canada, Taiwan, and Turkey. More than 100 languages and dialects are represented, according to officials. The youngest admitted freshman is 16, and the oldest is 23.

Officials say the admitted applicants have an average 3.91 GPA (unweighted), SAT score of 2093, and ACT score of 31. These academic indicators are equal to or higher than those of the previous year’s admitted pool.

Admission offers increased for African Americans (426 offers, 18 more than in 2014-15) and Asian Americans (5,494 offers, up by 248). Offers decreased for Chicano/Latino students (1,876, down by 101), white students (3,508, down by 161) and American Indians (76, down by 23).

Applicants for freshman admission were notified of their acceptance on March 26.