Almost 100 years ago, the first class of 28 degree-seeking students began their studies at what became UC Davis. And now, as UC Davis celebrates its centennial, the university boasts its strongest freshman class and overall record enrollment of 31,426.

The 4,972 new freshmen coming directly from high school represent a 0.3 percent increase from last fall’s 4,955. New transfer students number 1,914 this fall, compared with last fall’s 1,858 final tally, for a 3 percent increase. In all, total fall enrollment represents an increase of about 2.4 percent from last fall’s 30,685
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Pamela Burnett, director of Undergraduate Admissions, said, “The academic preparation of this freshman class is the highest in the recent history of the university.”

The average grade point average of the freshman class is 3.79, compared with 3.74 in fall 2007. The average Scholastic Assessment Test score of enrolled freshmen is 1,764, up from the average score of 1,739 in fall 2007.

Burnett also commented how closely UC Davis met its targets to enroll 5,000 new freshmen and 1,900 new transfer students.

“We’re especially pleased about the precision with which we met the enrollment targets,” she said.

Although elaborate analysis guides enrollment planning, Burnett said, other factors that influence students’ enrollment decisions are always at play. She said it was in the spring and before the dramatic downturn in the economy that UC Davis made its offers for fall admission.

Overall enrollment

The number of new and continuing undergraduates (including teaching-credential students) increased by about 3 percent, from 23,499 last fall to 24,209 this fall. The number of academic graduate students decreased by 0.2 percent, from 4,094 to 4,085.

The number of professional students increased from 3,092 last fall to 3,132 this fall, for a 1.3 percent increase.

Looking only at the Davis campus, the student population is expected to average 27,400 across the three quarters of the academic year.

Among the 29,072 students from the United States, 15.4 percent are from traditionally underrepresented groups, compared with 14.8 percent last fall. (This count excludes interns and residents.)
Men account for 44.7 percent of the total student population, and women 55.3 percent. About 92.6 percent of students are California residents. (These numbers exclude interns and residents.)

For the general campus, 6,116 students are classified as freshmen; 4,160 as sophomores; 6,635 as juniors; 7,162 as seniors; 136 as teaching-credential students; 3,830 as master’s or doctoral degree candidates; and 1,190 as professional students.
In the health sciences, 255 are designated as master’s or doctoral degree students and 1,942 as professional degree candidates.

Freshmen by ethnicity

A total of 4,891 of the 4,972 new freshmen are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and among them, more than 19 percent are from traditionally underrepresented groups. The ethnic breakdown among the U.S. students, contrasted with last year’s figures (in parentheses), is:

• African American, 3 percent or 147 (3.8 percent or 183);
• American Indian/Alaskan Native, 0.5 percent or 23 (0.8 percent or 41);
• Chicano/Latino, 15.6 percent or 764 (13.9 percent or 678);
• Asian/Pacific Islander, 39.8 percent or 1,948 (43.5 percent or 2,120);
• Caucasian, 35 percent or 1,714 (33.1 percent or 1,613); and
• Other/Not Reported, 6 percent or 295 (5 percent or 244).

Transfer students

Among the 1,790 transfer students from the United States, 289, or 16.1 percent, are from traditionally underrepresented groups.
Here is a comparison of actual fall quarter enrollments from last year to this year:
Fall 2008
Undergraduates 24,209
• Agricultural & Environmental Sciences 5,283
• Engineering 2,936
• Letters & Science 10,594
• Biological Sciences 5,260
• Teaching Credential 136

Graduate Academic 4,085
Professional 3,132
• Graduate School of Management* 506
• Law 589
• Medicine** 1,291
• Veterinary Medicine** 651
• Graduate Division 95
Total 31,426

Fall 2007
Undergraduates 23,499
• Agricultural & Environmental Sciences 4,819
• Engineering 2,950
• Letters & Science 10,243
• Biological Sciences 5,361
• Teaching Credential 126
Graduate Academic 4,094
Professional 3,092
• Graduate School of Management* 461
• Law 597
• Medicine** 1,304
• Veterinary Medicine** 630
• Graduate Division 100
Total 30,685
* Figures for the management school include students in the MBA program for working professionals: 396 this fall and 349 last fall.
** Numbers for the medical and veterinary schools include interns and residents. The medical school has 749 this fall compared with 783 last fall; the vet school has 109 this fall compared with 106 last fall.