<p>New UCLA Admissions Data Show High Academic Quality Maintained for Students Admitted for Fall 2006 Freshman Class </p>
<p>Date: April 19, 2006
Contact: Lauren Bartlett ( <a href="mailto:lbartlett@support.ucla.edu">lbartlett@support.ucla.edu</a> )
Phone: 310-206-1458 </p>
<p>UCLA admitted 12,094 prospective freshmen for fall 2006 from among 47,258 applicants, a 12 percent increase over last year and the largest applicant pool ever, making UCLA once again the most popular university in the country.</p>
<p>Even with the increase in numbers, the overall applicant pool had exceptionally strong academic qualifications, with nearly 21,000 students earning GPAs of 4.0 or above.</p>
<p>"The scope of the academic achievements of the students admitted to UCLA for 2006‑2007 is extraordinary," UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale said. "Of course, this is the first step; other institutions will be competing to enroll these talented scholars. But a 12 percent increase in applications tells us that more and more students from around the world recognize UCLA as one of the truly great universities."</p>
<p>Vu T. Tran, director of the UCLA Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Relations With Schools, said UCLA's admissions rate is about 25 percent; one out of four applicants is admitted, even when about 85 percent of all applicants meet University of California eligibility requirements.</p>
<p>"UCLA's ability to attract a very large and quality applicant pool year after year can be attributed to our excellent reputation as an academic institution that offers undergraduate students an abundance of opportunities to excel in their area of interest whether it is academic, research or community service and still graduate in a timely manner. UCLA has the highest graduation rate in the UC system; nearly 85 percent of freshmen who entered UCLA in 2000 graduated within five years."</p>
<p>UCLA plans to enroll 4,625 students, up from 4,422 last year.</p>
<p>Even with more applicants and new SAT tests, the academic characteristics for admitted freshman got stronger. Admitted students had an overall grade point average including honors and advanced placement courses of 4.27, compared to 4.25 last year. The SAT I test changed from a two-part test with math and verbal sections to a three-part test, known as the new SAT reasoning test, with a more rigorous math section, critical reading replacing the verbal portion and the addition of a writing section. The requirements for the SAT Subject Tests, formerly known as the SAT II tests or achievement tests, also changed. Previously, students took three tests math, writing and an elective third test. Now students take two subject tests, both of their choice.</p>
<p>The average composite score for the new SAT reasoning test for the admitted class was 2,009, out of a possible 2,400. The average math score was 685, the average critical reading score was 658 and the average writing score was 665.</p>
<p>The two highest average scores for the SAT Subject Tests were 733 and 680. Students took an average of nearly 19 honors and AP courses and completed an average of 49.7 college preparatory semester courses, far above the minimum of 30 that is required.</p>
<p>Along with academic excellence, the UCLA admitted freshman class reflects a diverse student population, including many first-generation college students and students from families with low incomes. The overall percentage of underrepresented minorities was 14.3.</p>
<p>About 29 percent of admitted students were first-generation college students. There were 3,362 first-generation students admitted this year out of 11,709 students in the domestic admitted class.</p>
<p>About 16 percent of the admitted students were from families whose annual incomes are less than $30,000, or 1,915 out of 11,709 of the domestic admitted class.</p>
<p>In looking at the gender distribution of the admitted class, about 58 percent of the admitted students are female, consistent with the national trend. Out of the 11, 709, there were 6,668 female students admitted.</p>
<p>Preliminary data show that underrepresented students Native Americans, African Americans and Chicanos/Latinos constitute 14.3 percent, or 1,669 members of the admitted freshman class. While the number is slightly down from 1,732 in 2005, it is significantly higher than 1,439 in 2004.</p>
<p>The number of Chicanos/Latinos for the admitted freshman class is 1,391, down slightly from 1,408 in 2005, but up from 1,172 for the fall 2004 admitted freshman class.</p>
<p>The number of African American applicants admitted for fall 2006 was 230, down from 280 in 2005 and similar to the number in 2004, which was 234.</p>
<p>The number of Native Americans admitted for the fall 2006 freshman class was 48, up from 44 in 2005 and 33 in 2004.</p>
<p>In other categories, admissions data show that Asian Americans comprise 45.9 percent (5,369) of the admitted freshman class, whites/Caucasians are 32 percent (3,744) of the admitted freshmen, 6.7 percent (789) of admitted applicants declined to state their race or ethnicity and 1.2 percent (138) identified themselves as "other."</p>
<p>California's largest university, UCLA enrolls approximately 38,000 students per year and offers degrees from the UCLA College of Letters and Science and 11 professional schools in dozens of varied disciplines. UCLA consistently ranks among the top five universities and colleges nationwide in total research-and-development spending, receiving more than $820 million a year in competitively awarded federal and state grants and contracts. For every $1 state taxpayers invest in UCLA, the university generates almost $9 in economic activity, resulting in an annual $6 billion economic impact on the Greater Los Angeles region. The university's health care network treats 450,000 patients per year. UCLA employs more than 27,000 faculty and staff, has more than 321,000 living alumni and has been home to five Nobel Prize recipients.</p>