UC sets new record in California student enrollment as it weathers Trump challenges
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The University of California enrolled a record number of Californians in fall 2025, according to data released Thursday, touting the vitality and popularity of a system under attack by the Trump administration and grappling with federal funding cuts and state budget belt-tightening.More than 301,000 students attended one of UC’s 10 campuses over the fall — the largest number in its history, with a year-over-year increase of 1,686 students.
The total included more than 200,000 California resident undergraduates, an increase of 1,796 students.At 42,232, first-year California undergraduates made up about 80% of the total 52,611 first-year students, representing an increase of 264 from 2024.“These numbers reflect California’s commitment to academic excellence, access, and innovation, values that have made the University of California the world’s greatest research university,” UC President James B.Milliken said in a statement.
“The value of a UC degree is abundantly clear.An investment in UC is the best investment in the future of our students, California’s workforce, and the state’s economy.”Across the board, UC campuses largely maintained — with some small gains or dips — enrollment demographics by gender, race and residency status, including international students.Continuing a long-term trend, new female undergraduates outnumbered men, 28,301 to 22,747.
Also, more Latino, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian American and white first-year undergraduates enrolled than in 2024.But there were slight decreases in Black and Native Americans among first-year students.
Across the nine undergraduate campuses — the 10th campus, San Francisco, has only graduate programs — there were 2,471 new first-year Black students, compared with 2,493 in 2024.For Native American students, the figure was 319, compared with 346 a year prior.
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