UCLA received the largest number of applications for fall admission in its history, with freshman applications surging 28% over the previous year and padding the school’s boast as the most applied-to university in the nation, officials announced Thursday.
According to the university, nearly 139,500 freshman applications were received for the fall semester, up from 109,000 last year. They included a 48% jump in applications from Black students, while Latino applications increased by 33%.
Transfer applications from community college students increased by 10% from the previous year, reaching nearly 28,500.
“These significant increases are partly the result of our robust outreach efforts and our partnerships with high schools and community-based organizations, particularly in underserved communities,” said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, UCLA’s vice provost for enrollment management. “But we also recognize that the removal of standardized testing as a requirement for admission played a role in these substantial increases.”
Standardized tests were pulled as a requirement in response to challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The surge in applications seen by UCLA was reflected across the University of California system, which saw a 16% increase in applications.
“Our record number of applications is a testament to the resilience of students and their families as well as their undeterred focus on higher education,” UC President Michael V. Drake said. “Californians continue to see us as the pathway for a better future.”
Overall, the UC system received a total of 249,855 applications — 203,700 freshman applications and 46,155 transfer applications.
UCLA will notify freshman applicants of admission decisions by April 1, and admitted students will have until May 1 to actually enroll. Prospective transfer students will be notified by April 30 of admission decisions, and admitted students will have until June 1 to commit.