UCSD received a record-high number of applications for the 2013–2014 academic year. According to finalized numbers released last month, the university garnered over 82,000 applicants.
Freshman applicants increased by 10.8 percent, totaling 67,403 applicants. Transfer rates, however, decreased by 1.2 percent and summed 14,988 students. Together, UCSD’s application total amounted to 82,391 students — an 8.4-percent increase from last year.
Following UCLA and UC Berkeley, UCSD ranks third among UC campuses with the most applicants. Nationally, UCSD continues to rank among the top five universities with the highest applicant numbers.
“UC San Diego continues to attract many talented and well-qualified students from diverse ethnic, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds,” said Mae Brown, assistant vice chancellor of admissions and enrollment services, in a Jan. 18 press release. “Our world-renowned faculty, dynamic students and vibrant campus community have contributed to the growth of UC San Diego stellar reputation as an academic powerhouse.”
The number of underrepresented applicants to UCSD increased by 10.9 percent. Thirty-two percent of Californian applicants were Chicano-Latino, with 3,219 applicants in total. Mexican-American freshmen accounted for 10,656 applicants, a 13.4-percent increase from the previous year.
African-Americans accounted for 3,020 applications, a 7.7-percent increase. Likewise, transfer students saw a 6.7-percent increase for African-American applicants and a 14.2-percent increase for Latino transfers.
A majority of the applications were sent in from Los Angeles, at 38.9 percent; San Francisco was the next-highest group, with 18.1 percent. Freshman applicants from San Diego County and Imperial County accounted for 8.1 percent, or 5,482 applications. The average GPA for high school applicants was 3.77, and among transfers, the average GPA was 3.35.
Application numbers across all nine undergraduate university campuses in the UC system continued the trend of rising application numbers each year, hitting record highs throughout the system. The number of undergraduate applicants systemwide saw an 8.6-percent increase, or 13,828 students, for 2012–2013.
With all campuses combined, the University of California received over 174,767 applicants — an 8.6-percent increase from last year. The number of freshman applicants increased by 10.7 percent, while transfer applicants grew only slightly, by 1.1 percent.