Slight Projected Decline in Black First-Year Enrollments in the University of California System

The University of California system reports that it expects 2,022 black first-year students from California this fall. This is down slightly from a year ago. Blacks will make up 3.8 percent of the first-year, in-state students in the University of California system, down from 3.9 percent a year ago.

Blacks will make up 3.5 percent of the in-state students at the Berkeley campus, the most prestigious in the state system. This is the same percentage as a year ago.

Blacks will make up nearly 10 percent of all first-year California students at the Merced campus. The lowest percentage of black incoming students will be at the San Diego campus.

Blacks make up about 7 percent of the college-age population in California. However, state universities in California are prohibited by state law from considering race in admissions decisions.

In order to boost revenues, the university system is accepting more students from outside of California. Some 12.4 percent of incoming students are not from California, compared to 8 percent a year ago and 5.9 percent two years ago. At the flagship campus at Berkeley, only 70 percent of incoming freshmen are from California.

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