SAN FRANCISCO — Admission to the University of California was more competitive than ever this year as a record number of applicants competed for undergraduate slots, according to data released last week.
About 71.6 percent of California freshman applicants were offered admission for fall 2010, compared with 72.5 percent in 2009 and 75.4 percent in 2008, according to UC.
This year was “the most competitive year for freshman admission in our history,” said Susan Wilbur, UC’s director of undergraduate admissions. “The competition for spaces this year was incredible, and many students and parents were disappointed by the outcome of this year’s process.”
All undergraduate campuses, except Merced and Riverside, reported their lowest admission rates ever, UC officials said.
UCLA was the most selective of UC’s nine undergraduate campus, admitting only 21 percent of freshman applicants. UC Berkeley admitted 24.5 percent of applicants, including students that got offers to start college in spring 2011.
For the first time, UC placed about 10,700 applicants on waiting lists for campuses to which they applied.
Students must decide whether to accept admission offers by May 1. After that, campuses will determine whether they have space for waitlisted students.
