UC Davis expects a strong entering class this fall after admitting almost 15,500 prospective students -- with an increased percentage from underrepresented groups -- from a record number of applicants. Of the 15,487 California freshmen admitted, about 4,300 are expected to enroll at UC Davis. "The students admitted to the class of 2004 appear to be even stronger than last year's," says Gary Tudor, UC Davis director of undergraduate admissions. "We expect another increase in the average GPA for entering students, and the strong, deep preparation in courses should be reflected in high scores on entrance exams." For the first time, UC Davis applicants have the option of checking the status of their application on the World Wide Web. The site requires an applicant's birth date and nine-digit Social Security or identification number. A record 24,439 applications -- up 10.4 percent from last year -- were reviewed this year, with 60 percent of the admitted students chosen on academic grade-point average, test scores, number of courses completed in core subjects and the number of approved honors courses completed. The remaining 40 percent were selected on the basis of academic accomplishment plus such other considerations as leadership promise, special talents, initiative, persistence, disadvantaged educational background, low income, significant disability or status as a veteran. Students from historically underrepresented groups -- African American, American Indian, Mexican American and Latino -- formed 13 percent of this year's admit pool compared with 12.4 percent last year. Asian American students made up 29.2 percent of this year's admit pool compared with 28.4 percent last year. Caucasians this year represented 41.2 percent of the admit pool compared with 42.6 percent last year. This year, slightly more admitted students declined to state their ethnicity -- 8.4 percent of those admitted compared with last year's 7.9 percent. The number of admitted students identifying themselves as members of historically underrepresented groups increased from 1,735 last year to 2,012 this year. There were significant increases in African Americans (from 346 to 393, or 13.6 percent more than last year) and Chicano (from 928 to 1,146 or 23.5 percent more). The number of Latinos increased (from 365 to 386, or 5.8 percent more). There were decreases among American Indians (from 96 to 87, or 9.4 percent less) and East Indians (from 454 to 449, or 1.1 percent less). Students identifying themselves as Asian American this year increased by 13.8 percent, from 3,970 to 4,518. The number of Filipino admits increased by 5.8 percent, from 518 to 548. The number of students identifying themselves as Caucasian increased by 7 percent, from 5,962 to 6,385. Those who identified themselves as being from other ethnic groups increased 12.4 percent, from 250 to 281, and accounted for 1.8 percent of the admit pool. "The results show that our statewide informational outreach campaigns and regional early academic program partnerships are having a really positive effect in preparing all students for UC eligibility and competitive eligibility," Tudor says. "This is very encouraging to us as we continue to invest substantially in elementary, middle and high schools." Over the last year, UC Davis has held about 30 test preparation workshops for high school students and involved about 300 students in summer academic programs.