University of California Resident, Out-of-State and International Admission – Fact Vs. Myth | University of California

Not long ago when the University of California system was hit hard by state budget cuts, the UC looked for a way to stem the rate of tuition hikes resulting. Increasing admission offers to non-residents, who pay a higher tuition, seemed like a viable solution.

Universitywide Freshmen Admission Offers to ALL

Universitywide began a steady increase each year to the number of students offered admission from out-of-state and international. There has been much discussion and confusion regarding the displacement of California residents in the process. The UC likes to point out, (as shown in the above chart by the green line) that the actual number of offers system-wide to Californians has held steady, even increasing slightly.

UCLA Admission Offers to Residents

UCLA Freshmen Admission Offers to non-residents

Still, from 2005 to 2014 there has been roughly a 10% decline in the number of offers of admission to Californians who applied to UCLA and Berkeley. With the number of applicants increasing each year, this has become an ever increasing point of contention among residents who have noticed the rising number of extremely qualified California students turned away each year. The newspaper headlines are rife with stories of students such as Nicholas Anthony, a co-valedictorian of Malibu High School, who is attending Brown this fall because he was turned away from both UCLA and Berkeley. (From The Wall Street Journal Article October 9, 2014 “In-State Students Out of Luck”)

Berkeley Freshmen Admission Offers To Californians

Berkeley Freshmen Admission Offers To Residents

Berkeley freshmen admission offers to non-resident

While some California students may be feeling squeezed out by out-of-state and international students, some have simply misjudged the competitiveness of admission to these schools. Counselors have long known the advantages of applying early when it comes to many private colleges, including the Ivy League. Let’s look at the reality of students applying to the most selective UC campuses compared with early applications to the Ivy League. I should clarify that the University of California is regular admission only. Still, when compared to ED (early decision) and SCEA (single choice early action) students are surprised to learn that UCLA and Berkeley can be MORE selective than many of the Ivy League. The chart below shows the overall combined admission rates including OOS and INT. The actual admit rate is even lower for Californians.