In-state enrollment for the University of California (UC) rose by more than 4,000 students in the fall of 2023, according to the university.
UC reported 194,571 California resident undergraduates—4,145 more students than it had in fall 2022, marking a 2.2 percent jump.
The numbers indicate California undergraduates for the new school year make up 83.4 percent of the system’s total 233,274 undergraduate population.
Meanwhile, UC’s out-of-state enrollment continued the downward trend it began in recent years, falling from nearly 23,000 last fall to 22,871 this school year.
Of UC’s 10 campuses, its Santa Cruz, Irvine, Davis, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara saw the most state resident increases, while Berkeley and Merced had only modest increases, and San Francisco and Riverside saw such enrollment drop slightly.
Including returning students, Berkeley, Los Angeles, and San Diego had the highest state resident enrollment rates due to high retention rates, according to officials.
The overall rise in UC’s undergraduate population maintains the agreement it made with the state last year.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2023-24 fiscal year budget gave both the UC and California State University (CSU) systems a 5 percent annual boost in funding for the next five years if they worked toward improving graduation and enrollment rates, particularly among California residents.
With the pledged increases, state funding amounted to $216 million for UC and $227 million for CSU for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
However, earlier this month, Mr. Newsom proposed deferring the 2024-25 fiscal year’s 5 percent increase for both the systems due to a $11.3 billion projected shortfall for K-12 schools and community colleges.
