The University of California, Davis, accepted fewer than one in two freshman applicants and offered an additional 5,000 applicants the opportunity to place themselves on a waitlist in another year of both record-setting applications and enrollment curtailed by budget cuts.

UC Davis offered admission to 19,460 students, or 44.9 percent, of the 43,269 freshman applicants who applied to begin undergraduate study in fall 2010. Last year, the campus admitted 19,567, or 46.2 percent of the 42,344 freshman applicants.

Among a record high of 39,920 applicants from California high schools, UC Davis admitted 17,784, or 44.5 percent. Last year, the university admitted 18,146, or 46.2 percent, of 39,288 applicants from California high schools.

Of those students admitted from California high schools, the mean grade point average increased to 4.02 from last year's 4.0; the average scores on admission tests also showed gains.

Students from traditionally underrepresented groups account for more than 23.2 percent of California students with freshman admission status who stated their ethnicity.

California high school students represent about 91.4 percent of admitted freshmen. Admissions for fall 2010 also include 867 out-of-state students, representing about 4.5 percent of all admitted freshmen, and 809 international students, representing about 4.2 percent. Last year, 811 out-of-state students accounted for 4.1 percent of all admitted freshmen, and 610 international students accounted for 3.1 percent of all admitted freshmen.

"This year's freshman admitted class is a highly talented and diverse student group that will contribute to the academic and research excellence of our university," said Frank Wada, executive director of undergraduate admissions and university registrar.

Waitlist

UC Davis is one of seven UC campuses to establish a waitlist for 2010 freshman admission. After a review of waitlist data from both public and private universities across the country, Wada said, UC Davis offered about 5,000 applicants the opportunity to place themselves on its waitlist.

"We hope this can provide some of these exceptional applicants the opportunity to be admitted to UC Davis should space become available," Wada said.

To be on the list, the students must accept the waitlist offer by Thursday, April 15, and submit a 200-word essay about why they want to attend UC Davis. If space becomes available in the entering freshman class, some students from the waitlist will be admitted after May 1 to fill the remaining seats.

Information about the UC Davis waitlist is available at: http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/waitlist.

On Friday, UC Davis will host thousands of admitted students and their families for Decision UC Davis, a special program of tours and presentations to help them become more familiar with the campus. Thousands more are expected to visit on Saturday, April 17, for Picnic Day, UC Davis' annual open house.

Enrollment

This fall, UC Davis aims to enroll about 4,415 new freshmen from California and elsewhere. Last year, the campus enrolled 4,413 new freshmen.

The campus also is planning for about 2,510 new students to transfer from another college or university this fall compared with the 2,219 who enrolled last fall. This increase is in keeping with UC's commitment to increase transfer opportunities for community college students. The admissions office will continue to notify 11,252 transfer applicants of admission decisions through April.

In a Feb. 2 projection, the campus Office of Administrative and Resource Management estimated total UC Davis enrollment for the upcoming fall quarter -- including continuing undergraduates and graduate students -- would be 32,325 students, an increase of 0.5 percent from last fall's 32,153. Enrollment is expected to average 31,030 over the three regular quarters of the 2010-11 academic year.

Total enrollment includes students who will study at locations outside of Davis, such as the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and the UC Washington and Education Abroad programs. Enrollment is usually lower in winter and spring quarters.

Admitted freshmen have until May 1 and admitted transfers have until June 1 to indicate their intent to register at UC Davis. Students can indicate their choice to attend UC Davis online at http://myadmissions.ucdavis.edu.

Admitted freshmen by ethnicity

Students from underrepresented groups -- American Indian, African American and Chicano/Latino -- account for more than 23 percent of California students with freshman admission status who stated their ethnicity. Last year, the figure was 21.9 percent.

The number of admitted students identifying themselves as members of underrepresented groups increased by about 2 percent, from 3,799 last year to 3,877 this year.

Systemwide admissions numbers, including those for the Davis campus, are accessible through a Web site of the Office of the President at http://www.ucop.edu/news/studstaff.html.

About UC Davis

For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 32,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $600 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges -- Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools -- Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.