<p>California's current third-graders may have a better chance of getting into top University of California campuses compared to today's high-schoolers, according to a new university report. </p>
<p>While state government agencies project that the number of California public high school graduates will decline through 2020-21, the university expects to continue increasing annual enrollment, thus reducing competition by leaving more spots open for admits. </p>
<p>"We'll keep increasing the number of undergraduates every year, but there will be less students competing every year," said Nina Robinson, director of policy and external affairs for the UC Office of the President. </p>
<p>According to projections, the university expects to increase its enrollment by about 20 percent by 2020-21, representing an increase of about 26,000 undergraduates and 22,000 graduate students from this school year. </p>
<p>The increased enrollment rate and projected high school graduate decline would allow the university to enroll an all-time high of 9.2 percent of California's public high school graduates, up from between 6 to 8 percent historically. </p>
<p>"Slower growth among high school graduates is good news in that it will relieve the pressure that has led to increasing competition for individual students applying to one or more of our campuses," the report states. </p>
<p>The number of high school graduates is expected to decline because of low birth rates in the 1990s. </p>
<p>The university hopes to focus growth at the graduate level, with officials aiming to increase the proportion of the UC system's graduate students from 22 percent this year to 26 percent by 2020-21. </p>
<p>While the number of enrolled students is expected to increase, the percentage of graduate students at UC Berkeley is expected to remain constant at 27 percent, while the percentages may jump at younger campuses such as UC Merced and UC Irvine. </p>
<p>While university officials foresee university enrollment to increase in the coming decade, the rate of growth for enrollment will be smaller than in previous years. The projected annual UC growth rate for 2007-08 is 2.5 percent and 0.9 percent for 2020-21. </p>
<p>But campus officials emphasized that projected enrollment represents goals, and actual enrollment is contingent on outside funding and the state budget. </p>
<p>"(The numbers are) fiction, to the degree that they represent the aspirations of various schools," said Catherine Koshland, vice provost for academic planning and facilities. "We can proceed with planning, but right now we're so constrained by the budget that no one's going to grow." </p>
<p>The university faces the largest graduating high school class this year, which poses constraints on the budget and enrollment in the next few years. </p>
<p>University officials announced in February that they would admit all students who meet university requirements for admission for the next school year. But officials said the UC system would be forced to close its doors to eligible students in the following year unless the state provides funds to support increased enrollment. </p>
<p>A similar situation occurred in 2004 when the university denied admission to some eligible students because of state budget cuts. </p>
<p>While the projected figures seem promising for future high school graduates seeking admission into the university, Koshland warned that the state budget could change in the coming years. </p>
<p>"These are the kind of exercises we engage in," she said. "It doesn't mean a whole lot because the numbers aren't definitive."</p>