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

The campus 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.

Californians: 91.4 percent

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.

UC Davis joins the Berkeley, Irvine, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz campuses in establishing wait lists for 2010 freshman admission. Of UC campuses with undergraduate students, only Merced and Los Angeles do not have wait lists.

After a review of wait list 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 wait list.

“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 have accepted the wait list offer by April 15 and submitted a 200-word essay about why they wanted to attend UC Davis. If space becomes available in the entering freshman class, some students from the wait list will be admitted after May 1 to fill the available seats.

Today (April 16), UC Davis is hosting thousands of admitted students and their families for Decision UC Davis, a special program of tours and presentations to help the visitors become more familiar with the campus. Thousands more are expected to visit on Picnic Day (April 17).

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: 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.

ON THE NET

Information about the UC Davis wait list

Systemwide admissions numbers