UC Berkeley enrolls more California residents

UC Berkeley increased enrollment of undergraduates who are California residents by 803 students in fall 2024, a 3% rise over fall 2023, according to data the system released Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the number of out-of-state and international students declined by 811 or about 11%, continuing a trend in recent years.

In total, Cal enrolled 33,070 undergraduates, a decline of eight students from 2023.

State lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom have demanded that UC increase enrollment of California residents and decrease the number of students from other states and countries. As part of what he labeled a multi-year compact, Newsom has tied budget increases for UC to the system increasing enrollment of Californians, among other goals like increasing graduation rates.

UC Berkeley in the fall saw enrollment of Pell Grant recipients increase by over 9% compared to fall 2023 and increased the number of Black students by 3%, Native American students by 11% and Latino students by 1%.

Among domestic students, Asian students comprised the largest share of any ethnic group, making up 40.7% of UC Berkeley undergraduates. Hispanic and Latino students comprised 20.9%; white students, 19.9%; Black students, 4.1%; and Native Americans or Native Hawaiians, 0.2%. Another 3.8% students were categorized as an unknown ethnicity and nearly 10% were identified as international.

UC’s 236,070 students are enrolled across nine campuses. The five largest — Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles and San Diego — each enrolled between 30,000 and 35,000 undergraduates. The smallest, Merced, enrolled 8,372.

“The students behind these numbers come from all corners of California and are proof that there are many paths to a UC education,” Han Mi Yoon-Wu, UC’s associate vice provost for undergraduate admission, said in a statement. “The University of California is committed to making UC accessible to the best students. Our efforts are guided by the University’s compact with the governor, and we are grateful for the ongoing support of the state legislature in helping us fulfill this promise.”

Berkeleyside staff contributed reporting to this story.

Featured photo: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside/CatchLight