June 4, 2001
UCSC part of systemwide jump in transfer admissions
By Jennifer McNulty
UC Santa Cruz has made a major investment in bringing more California Community College
students to campus, and the latest admission figures suggest the effort is paying
off. At UCSC, 2,360 California resident transfer students have been admitted for
fall 2001, a 6.9 percent increase over the previous year. Among underrepresented
minorities--African American, American Indian, and Chicano/Latino students--the increase
was 18.6 percent.
"It's gratifying to see that our outreach and support efforts are having an impact," said UCSC Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood. "Our entire admissions staff is dedicated to this work, and the numbers reflect the increasingly close relationships we're building with our community college colleagues."
UCSC's efforts mirror what is happening in the UC system in general, where the increases were 9.1 percent and 17.9 percent, respectively. The admissions increase follows a 5.5 percent increase in applications from these students for fall 2001. The deadline for these transfer students to file their "statement of intent to register (SIR)," which is the next step on their path to becoming UC students, is Friday, June 8.
"Transferring from the community colleges is an excellent and affordable way to come to the University of California, so it is encouraging to see the increases in transfer students this year," said UC President Richard C. Atkinson in a press release announcing the transfer rates.
"Increasing student access to UC through the transfer route is one of the university's highest priorities. These admissions results demonstrate that, working closely with the community colleges, we are making good progress."
The numbers were also heralded by Thomas J. Nussbaum, chancellor of the California Community Colleges. "It's very heartening to see this significant increase in admissions to UC," he said. "We've been working very hard with the university to turn these numbers around, and we're finally beginning to see some significant results. A large increase in the number of admits is essential if we're to achieve our ultimate goal of increasing the number of transfers who actually enroll."
Systemwide, the number of resident underrepresented minority students admitted to at least one campus in the transfer process increased 17.9 percent, from 1,989 to 2,345. These students made up 19.2 percent of the admitted pool of transfer students, up from 17.8 percent last year.
Every UC campus saw an increase in the number of underrepresented minority transfer students admitted.
On a systemwide basis, admissions of transfer students increased 14 percent among African Americans, 85 percent among American Indians, 11 percent among Asian Americans, 16 percent among Chicano/Latinos, 3 percent among white students, 2 percent among students of other ethnicities, and 18 percent among those declining to state their ethnicity.
An effective transfer program is a key component of UC's "partnership agreement" with Gov. Gray Davis, which lays out funding commitments for the state and accountability commitments for the university. The partnership calls for a 6 percent annual increase in community college transfers to UC through 2005-06. That figure is based on final, full-year enrollment, not admissions, but the fall 2001 admissions figures indicate that UC and the community colleges are on track toward meeting this year's goal.
UC's total fall-winter-spring enrollment of California Community College transfer students in 1999-2000 increased 6.6 percent over the 1998-99 level, surpassing the partnership's goal of 6 percent. Final full-year enrollment figures for 2000-01 are not yet available.
UC and the California Community Colleges operate a wide variety of programs aimed at helping students prepare academically for UC and navigate the transfer process successfully, including transfer admission agreements that guarantee admission to a UC campus for community college students who earn the required grade-point average in the appropriate lower-division course work.
In addition, outreach programs, such as MESA and Puente, foster the academic development of community college students and enhance their preparation for transfer to UC. ASSIST, a web-based planning system for transfer students, provides a roadmap to the transfer process by showing how course credit earned at a California community college can be applied to a major at UC or the California State University system.
Finally, UC has invested in numerous programs increasing personal contact. All UC campuses send outreach officers to meet with community college students; last year, UC outreach officers made more than 3,400 visits to prospective transfer students at all 108 community colleges.
A new proposal by Atkinson would provide an additional path for students to enter the UC system through the community colleges. His "Dual Admissions" proposal would grant admission at a UC campus to students between the top 4 percent and 12.5 percent of their high school's graduating class, provided they first complete a transfer program at a community college. Details of the proposal, which has been approved by UC's Academic Senate and is awaiting a vote by the Board of Regents, are available on the web.
