The University of California, Davis, will offer admission to 17,418 California freshmen for fall 2003. About 4,880 freshmen from California and elsewhere are expected to enroll, along with 1,885 transfer students from community colleges, for a total of 6,765 new students.

The admission rate at UC Davis fell slightly this year, from 63.3 percent of applicants to 56.9 percent. The drop reflected both continuing growth in the college-age population and increased interest in UC Davis among prospective students, forcing the campus to be more selective, said Gary Tudor, director of undergraduate admissions and outreach services.

Across the University of California system, admitted students are taking more college preparatory courses and getting higher grades. The average grade point average of students admitted to UC campuses this year is 3.76.

"The admitted students have a high academic profile, demonstrate a richness of extracurricular activities and represent the diversity of California's population," Tudor said.

Among UC Davis applicants who stated their ethnicity and were admitted as freshmen, the overall proportion of those from traditionally underrepresented groups increased by one percentage point.

Student applications were evaluated using comprehensive review, a process that takes into account academic, socioeconomic and personal achievements. At UC Davis, nearly 28,000 applications were read by 150 specially trained faculty and staff.

Mix of Admitted Freshmen

Californian freshmen from historically underrepresented groups -- African American, American Indian and Chicano/Latino -- accounted for 16.6 percent of this year's admitted students who stated their ethnicity, compared with 15.5 percent last year.

The percentage of Asian American students fell slightly to 39.3 percent of this year's admitted students who stated their ethnicity, compared to 39.7 percent last year.

Caucasians this year represented 42.4 percent of admitted students who stated their ethnicity, compared with 42.3 percent last year.

This year, 9.2 percent of all admitted students declined to state their ethnicity, compared with last year's 7.8 percent.

Changes in Numbers

The number of admitted California freshman students identifying themselves as members of historically underrepresented groups rose by 8.4 percent, from 2,427 last year to 2,631 this year. There were increases among Chicanos and Latinos, from 1,901 to 2,078, or 9.3 percent, and African Americans, from 416 to 456, or 9.6 percent. The numbers of American Indians fell from 110 to 97, a decrease of 11.8 percent over the previous year.

Students identifying themselves as Asian American this year increased by just 0.2 percent, from 6,203 to 6,216.

The number of students identifying themselves as Caucasian decreased slightly from 6,759 to 6,713. Those who identified themselves as being from other ethnic groups increased 3.2 percent, from 250 to 258, and accounted for 1.60 percent of all admitted students stating their ethnicity. Those who declined to state their ethnicity increased 1.5 percent, from 1,331 to 1,600.

The profile of admitted students at UC Davis reflects trends seen across the UC system this year. Systemwide admissions numbers, including the Davis campus, are accessible through a Web site of the Office of the President (http://www.ucop.edu/news/studstaff.html).

Deadlines

Admitted freshmen have until May 1 to indicate their intent to register at UC Davis. Admitted transfer students have until June 1.