Following a record-breaking number of admissions in Fall 2021, UC San Diego has cut back on new student admissions for the incoming class of 2022. UCSD extended admissions offers to 42,427 first-year and transfer applicants this fall, a decrease of 10,609 from last year’s total. 

According to Jim Rawlins, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management, UCSD Admissions reduced enrollment with the goal of strictly capping the amount of students who enroll. “The number of offers of admission are always driven by predictions of how many students will accept our offer, and it was important that we not exceed our enrollment goals this year. For that reason, we were more cautious in making offers this year,” Rawlins said. 

The reduction of admissions has come despite continuous increases in applications. “It is difficult to predict future trends,” Rawlins noted, “[but] the historical data has shown a steady increase in applications year over year.” UCSD received 131,226 first-year applications in 2022, up from 118,360 in 2021 and 100,034 in 2020, the increase reflecting increased accessibility of the UC application.

“The one application used for all UC campuses contributes to the ease of applying. In addition, switching to a test-free approach to admission has empowered more students to feel more confident in applying to UCs,” elaborated Rawlins. 

As a result of the reductions in admissions, there has been a corresponding decrease in total enrollment, although the official data won’t be released until “ the coming weeks […] in cooperation with the UC Office of the President on their established timeline,” according to Rawlins. 

Enrollment reductions arrive as UCSD continues to construct several large-scale housing projects, such as the Theater District and Pepper Canyon West Living Learning Neighborhoods, in an attempt to meet administration goals. 

“Starting in 2023, three new on-campus housing neighborhoods will open in successive years, adding more than 5,000 new undergraduate beds on campus by 2025,” said Associate Director of University Communications, Leslie Sepuka. 

She added that “the university’s goal is to house 50% of all students by 2025 and to continue making progress toward a four-year housing guarantee at below market rates.”

According to Associate Director of University Communications Erika Johnson, the decrease in admissions and enrollment was expected by campus planners.

“This decrease was the foundation of a successful effort to ensure we did not exceed enrollment targets for the year. We anticipate the same careful approach to enrollment goals in future years,” Johnson said. 

Despite increasing on-campus housing capacity, the under-construction housing projects will not affect UCSD’s enrollment targets. Instead, Johnson stated that the enrollment targets will continue to be developed by a collaboration between both campus and UC system-wide officials. 

According to Rawlins, “Campus specific enrollment goals are tied to system-wide enrollment goals […] focused on how many students will enroll, and in regard to the funding they can offer toward California residents. Decisions on how many students to offer admission […] is determined at the campus level.”

Whether or not UCSD will maintain its existing admissions and enrollment targets is yet to be determined by officials. However, Rawlins did note that “further reductions are not likely,” and that further changes will be based on the number of students who accept their offer of admission. 

Photo by Christian Duarte for the UCSD Guardian.

Data visualizations by Ifunanya Okoroma for the UCSD Guardian.