The University of California (UC) system admitted a record 3,851 Korean American freshmen and transfer students from California for the fall 2025 semester, according to data released by the UC Office of the President. This figure continues a rising trend, up from 3,535 in 2023 and 3,639 in 2024, and marks the highest total to date.
Among Asian American students from California, Korean Americans ranked fifth in number of admits, following Chinese (13,094), Indian (8,504), Vietnamese (6,727), and Filipino (6,432). Korean Americans made up about 9% of all Asian American UC admits from the state. Of the total, 3,183 were freshmen and 591 were transfer students, with freshmen making up roughly 83% of the group. The UC Office noted that transfer figures may vary due to out-of-state transfers.
Overall, 180,382 students were admitted to UC for fall 2024, including 128,760 from California, among them 27,813 transfer students. About 68% of all freshmen admits came from California. UC confirmed that more than 100,000 freshmen from the state were admitted for the first time, setting a new milestone.
At the campus level, UCLA admitted 8,575 in-state freshmen out of a total of 13,600, about 200 fewer than the previous year. The school had the lowest number of in-state admits among UC campuses, likely due to its competitive 9% acceptance rate. UC Berkeley reported 9,874 in-state freshmen out of 14,451 total, or 68%. UC Riverside (53,579) and UC Merced (41,785) had the highest total admits from California. However, their freshman enrollment rates remain between 7–12%, despite offering early application programs.
Demographic data shows that Latino students made up the largest share of California freshmen admits at 39%, followed by Asian (33%), White (18%), Black (6%), and Native American (1%) students. Low-income students accounted for 42%, and first-generation college students also made up 42%, each down 1 percentage point from the previous year. By gender identity, 54% of admits identified as female, 42% as male, 1% as nonbinary, 1% as transgender, and 3% as other.
The UC system, which includes nine undergraduate campuses and one graduate/professional campus in San Francisco, has worked to expand access for California residents in response to state and community pressure. Yoonwoo Hanmi, UC Director of Undergraduate Admissions, told the LA Times, “Providing more UC opportunities to students from California is a benefit for the entire state. We’re excited to welcome such talented students.”
In a related policy change, nonresident tuition was increased by about 10% last fall, rising from $34,200 to $37,602 annually.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
