California Public University Admission Rates by Ethnicity: A Comparison

July 2006
In fall 2004, 78% of University of California (UC) applicants from California were admitted to at least one of the 10 UC campuses. (Most UC applicants apply to more than one campus.) The graph below, adapted from EdSource’s 2006 Resource Cards, shows UC admission rates by ethnicity in fall 1997 compared to fall 2004. In fall 1997, the total admission rate was more than 82%. This rate is calculated by dividing the number of students admitted by the number of students who applied.

In November 1996 voters passed Proposition 209, which forbade state agencies and educational institutions from granting preferential treatment to anyone on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. It was implemented in August 1997, first affecting the fall 1998 freshman class.

When comparing 2004 with 1997 admissions data, UC admission rates for every ethnic subgroup of students dropped. However, for some subgroups, the drop was more severe. It was less of a drop for Asian/East Indian (-1.6%), white (-2.4%), and Filipino (-3.6%) students, but more for Native American (-17.7%), African American (-14.9%), and Latino/Chicano (-11.0%) students.

(UC data are for fall 1997 and fall 2004. The CSU data below are for the entire 1997–98 and 2004–05 college years: fall, winter, and spring sessions. In addition, UC data are for California applicants only, while CSU data are for all applicants.)

During the same time frame, the overall admission rates in the California State University (CSU) system increased. Although CSU also had to abide by Proposition 209’s provisions, a comparison of 1997 and 2004 admission rates shows that the rates either increased or stayed essentially the same for all ethnicities. Underrepresented ethnicities (African American, Latino/Chicano, and Native American) gained the most from overall increased admission rates.