How many students applied to local universities? The coronavirus pandemic affected totals
The University of California, Davis, drew a record number of applicants for next year while California State University, Sacramento, experienced a slight dip.
Officials at both universities said that the COVID-19 pandemic factored into who was and was not applying to schools in the Sacramento region.
UC Davis
UC Davis announced that more than 105,000 undergraduate students applied for admissions in fall 2021, jumping from last year’s record of about 95,000 applicants.
The 10-campus UC system announced it will return to mostly in-person instruction in the fall.
About 87,000 of the UCD total applied for freshman status - a 13.3% increase from last year. Just over 18,000 applied as transfer students, representing a 4.7% increase from last year.
School officials said that several factors are at play, but that the COVID-19 pandemic likely influenced students’ decisions.
The increase in applicants may also reflect a greater number of applicants who took a gap year between high school and college due to the pandemic.
Students in the United States are likely more inclined to stay close to home than travel and study in other countries, university officials state.
While most of the applicants are California residents, about 19,000 of them were international students, nearly a 3% increase from last year. Applications from other states grew 46%.
This year’s applicants also reflect an increase in historically underrepresented groups, low-income families, and first generation college students.
“Our future Aggies come from all walks of life and reflect a broad diversity of thought, experiences, communities and backgrounds that embody a spirit of inclusive excellence,” said Ebony Lewis, executive director of undergraduate admissions.
Of last year’s 95,000 applicants, about 9,400 freshman and transfer students were admitted into UC Davis to begin classes in fall 2020.
The University of California announced on Jan. 11 its plans to return to a system-wide, largely in-person instructional model in the fall of 2021.
Specific plans for how fall classes will resume will be made by each individual campus, and all will coordinate with their local public health agencies.
Sacramento State
California State University, Sacramento, received just under 36,000 undergraduate applications.
About 25,000 of those students applied as first-time freshmen - about 2,000 less than last year.
About 13,000 applied as transfer students, 116 more students than last year.
The declining numbers are not surprising, according to Brian Henley, Sacramento State director of admissions and outreach.
“A large majority of that reduction is a result of fewer applicants from outside our local area,” Henley said in an email to The Sacramento Bee. “We do expect given the uncertainty presented by the pandemic that students will be more likely to stay closer to home this year than in past years. A number of factors may drive that trend (including) loss of family income or just feeling the need to be closer to family in case of an emergency.”
The 23-university system announced it won’t increase tuition this year amid pandemic-related hardships and the belief there is adequate funding from the state.