The University of California has received a record 37,000 statements of intent to register for the upcoming 2006-07 academic year, with 5,303 students accepting admission at UCSD — about 1,300 more students than last year — according to UC Office of the President statistics.
University officials have said that the increased number of students will force them to alter on-campus housing and class spaces to accommodate the large incoming freshman class.
According to Assistant Vice Chancellor of Admissions and Registration Mae W. Brown, the high numbers of S.I.R.s reflect a common underestimation of the university’s enrollment projection formula, which uses multiple factors to predict a student’s likelihood of accepting an admission offer.
“[T]his is not the first time that [UCSD] has received a higher-than-projected return of positive acceptances,” she stated in an e-mail.
UCSD’s S.I.R. numbers come in conjunction with high levels across the UC system and public universities around the country, according to Brown.
The university is checking to see if students turned in more than one S.I.R., which could be causing the unusually high levels of enrollment.
John Muir College and Sixth College are currently experiencing the most significant levels of overenrollment, with Muir receiving nearly 300 more students than expected, according to Muir Dean of Student Affairs Patty Mahaffey.
Muir is bracing for the influx by altering housing accommodations in both residence halls and apartments, Mahaffey said.
“We’ll be tripling, and although there will be some challenges, we’ve got a positive community that will make this work,” she said.
Comparing Muir’s cramped housing situation next year to that of UCLA, where many first-year students live in triple rooms, Mahaffey also said that about 100 second-year students will be moved out of Muir housing to Earl Warren College and that Revelle College will be accommodating residents from all colleges.
Because of the increased enrollment figures, the university will be forced to alter not only housing, but class space as well, Brown stated.
“The campus is working with academic departments, the undergraduate colleges and other campus administrators to ensure that we have sufficient classes and space in orientation programs,” Brown stated.
Mahaffey said that Muir will be increasing the number of orientation sessions from five to six, and the number of teaching assistants in the Muir College Writing Program will be increased to make sure freshmen have access to the class.
Because the state sets the amount of funding given to UCSD even if it experiences overenrollment, UCSD will have to cope with the influx, according to Associate Vice Chancellor of Undergraduate Education Mark I. Appelbaum.
Although the university is expecting a record number of students, the amount will decrease by approximately 7 to 8 percent university-wide due to “summer melt,” according to Brown, when students decide not to attend college between now and the beginning of next school year.
Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Joseph W. Watson stated in an e-mail that despite the high number of S.I.R.s, UCSD will not alter its enrollment projection formula.
Although Watson stated that it is not known why so many students chose UCSD, Brown suggested that one reason that UCSD may have received so many S.I.R.s was because of its increasing popularity.
“We are second only to UCLA in attracting freshmen to the campus,” she stated.
Although there will be some challenges in making space for the incoming class, not everyone is scrambling to find alternative solutions.
“Student organizations are really excited about the numbers,” Mahaffey said.