Now that applications are in for the current high school senior class students that aspire to attend one of the UCs next year, let's review some of the statistics associated with the most recent class of applicants. This can shed some light on what the current group of applicants can expect this coming April, when the letters of acceptance are sent out by the universities.
For this fall of college freshman, the class of 2012, the number of applicants to the UC system was 95,611. Of those applicants, 76,842 students were accepted, about 5,000 over the previous year. Of those, 37,763 Californians said that they would be enrolling.
Here are the academic statistics of the incoming class this year (class of 2012) and last (2011):
2007 GPA: 3.78 SAT: 1768 ACT: 24.9
2008 GPA: 3.79 SAT: 1769 ACT: 25.2
The high acceptance rates can be misleading. Looking at specific schools reveals some important distinctions for the fall 2008 applicants (class of 2012):
Berkeley: 49,504 applied, 10,478 admitted (21.6%), 4.18 GPA, SAT CR 665, M 696, W 674 averages
San Diego: 47,410 applied, 19,044 admitted (40.2%), 4.07 GPA, SAT CR 630, M 671, W 642 averages
Los Angeles: 55,441 applied, 12,709 admitted (22.9%), 4.15 GPA, SAT CR 653, M 686, W 664 averages
The UC system is very good at producing statistics each year. You can get all the information sliced nearly any way you want it at this site:
UC StatFinder - Undergraduate Admissions, Enrollment, Persistence, and Graduation Statistics
Some tables that are sure to be of interest are:
Table 16-2007. Fall applicants, fall admits, fall enrollees, admit rate and fall applicant yield rate: first-time freshmen, by high school GPA, universitywide and by campus: Fall 2007
and,
Fall 2008 California Freshman Admit Profile
So, if you are stressing over your chances for getting into a UC campus, these statistics can help get a picture of your chances. But as many families are finding each year, acceptances can appear random at some campuses, with some students with high academic profiles missing out while some with lower profiles are admitted.
This makes a strategy of selecting strong private schools that match your needs and preferences all the more important.