Number of Black Students Admitted to Berkeley Declines

The University of California system has released data on students admitted to the Class of 2015. The system received a record 106,186 applications this year and more than 59,000 students were admitted to at least one of the nine undergraduate campuses.

In an effort to close the system’s budget gap, 18 percent of all admitted students were from outside the state of California, up from 14 percent a year ago. Undergraduates from out of state pay a total of $34,000 per year for tuition and fees. California residents pay a fee of $11,124.

Of the more than 59,000 students admitted, 2,411 are African Americans. Thus, blacks are 4.1 percent of all admitted students. Blacks make up about 7 percent of the college-age population in California.

At the system’s flagship campus in Berkeley, 332 black students were admitted, down from 348 in 2010 and 365 in 2009. This year blacks make up 3.6 percent of all students admitted at Berkeley. At highly ranked UCLA, 382 black students were admitted this year. They make up 3.5 percent of all admitted students.

By state law, all admissions decisions at the University of California are made without consideration of race.

Copyright © 2011. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.