More than 4,700 Students Plan to Enroll as Freshmen at UC Santa Barbara for Fall 2008

A total of 4,725 students representing a broad section of talents and interests have indicated they intend to enroll as freshmen at UC Santa Barbara for fall 2008.

Both the academic qualifications and the diversity of the class of applicants accepted by UCSB are at record high levels.

"All of us here at UC Santa Barbara have been working diligently together to increase both the quality and diversity of our academic programs and student body," said UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang.

"We are delighted that our efforts continue to bear fruit, including our success this year in attracting our largest and strongest applicant pool ever. We look forward to welcoming a truly outstanding freshman class in the fall."

Expectations are for an enrollment of approximately 4,400 freshmen this fall, about 200 students more than anticipated, said Christine Van Gieson, UCSB director of admissions.

The intended freshmen are among 23,183 high school seniors admitted to UCSB out of 47,069 applicants, the highest number of applicants in campus history.

"I am thrilled by our admission outcomes this year, which is the result of a lot of work by our faculty, staff, and students, who spoke with prospective students and their families via phone and e-mail as well as on campus and at receptions around the state," said Van Gieson.

"We look forward to enthusiastically welcoming this talented group of students to UC Santa Barbara this fall."

UCSB's fall 2008 entering freshman class includes more members of underrepresented minorities than ever before.

In addition, the entering class continues to raise the bar on academic quality.

Of all domestic respondents expected to register who indicated their racial or ethnic backgrounds, nearly 49 percent, or 2,311, are members of minority groups.

The 1,396 members of underrepresented minority groups – African Americans, American Indians, Chicanos and Latinos – account for nearly 30 percent of the entering class.

Of particular note, the number of African American students planning to enroll as freshmen increased to 190, compared with 120 students in 2007.

Chicano and Latino students account for 25 percent of the 2008 entering freshman class with 1,181 students, compared with 1,026 students last year.

American Indian students who have indicated they will attend UCSB totaled 25 this year, down from 41 students the previous year.

Individual applicants to UC are not identified to the campuses by race or ethnicity until after all admissions decisions are made.

Applicants must take the SAT Reasoning Test, which is made up of three sections: reading, mathematics, and writing.

The average total on the SATR Test of the fall 2008 freshman admits to UCSB was 1782, compared to 1774 last year, out of a possible 2400.

The average high school Grade Point Average of the applicants planning to attend UCSB was 3.84.

Last year's average for students who submitted Statements of Intent to Register was 3.81.

Statistics on incoming transfer students are not yet available, but Van Gieson said that UCSB had admitted 6,149 transfer applicants, 568 more students than last year, for a planned enrollment of 1,400.

The Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) is an interim step in the overall application, admission, and enrollment cycle.

An admitted student submits an SIR to signal his or her intent to accept the provisional admission offer and enroll at UCSB.

Students must also submit transcripts of their final-semester grades by July 15 for a final review.

Final enrollment figures for the fall term typically are available in late October.

The UC Office of the President is releasing freshman admissions statistics for all undergraduate campuses today.

They are available here.