UC schools admit record number of transfers
SAN FRANCISCO — The University of California has admitted a record number of in-state transfer students for the upcoming academic year, as part of UC'S plan to expand access to the university system for California community college students, officials said Wednesday.
UC system officials said its nine undergraduate campuses had offered admission to nearly 137,000 students overall, 70 percent of them from within the state, as annual enrollment continues to increase.
"We have more California undergraduates enrolled at the University of California than at any point in our history," Robin Holmes-sullivan, vice president of student affairs told reporters Wednesday. "We want to make sure that UC is accessible to as many students as possible, including transfers."
Among those admitted were 28,750 transfer applicants, nearly 85 percent of them from in-state. The transfer of residents from community college grew by 8 percent, the UC said in a statement.
One of them is Luis Ramierz Martinez, a 27-year-old who is transferring from San Jose Community College and plans to study media and film at UC Berkeley.
"I never thought I'd be able to go to a place like Berkeley," said Martinez, who spent six months behind bars for selling cocaine at age 24, a misstep that made him realize the importance of an education. An incoming junior, Martinez says the higher cost of a degree at Berkeley is will be challenging but worth the expense. Tuition and fees at Berkeley will be over $14,000 compared to about $6,000 at San Jose.
"I know I am a smart individual and I know I have a brilliant mind," said Martinez, who says financial aid will cover about half his costs and freelance work in photography and video will cover the rest, as he looks for scholarships. "The fact that there is a system that allows students like myself to travel to a place like Berkeley is amazing."
Gov. Jerry Brown and the state Legislature have pressured UC schools to expand access to California community college students, thereby offering a cheaper way to complete a four-year degree at the state's top public universities.