The Office of the President released a report recently detailing trends in applications to and enrollment in University of California graduate and professional programs over the last six years. Although there has been a decline over the last two years in the total number of applications submitted to UC's medical schools, last year saw the biggest drop. A drop in underrepresented minority admission and enrollment in UC medical schools was also reported. These applicants were the first to be affected by the University's policy prohibiting the use of race, gender and ethnicity in admissions.

The UCSF School of Medicine had the least drop-off (4%) in applications and UCD and UCI (11%) the most, according to the Janurary 9 report. The drop-off of underrepresented minorities followed the same pattern with UCSF (18%) having the least drop-off and UCD and UCI the most (25%). The year in which the most applications were submitted by underrepresented minority groups was 1994 (3,281), and continuing through 1996 there were small yearly declines, but then a 21.5 percent drop from 1996 to 1997 (2,973 to 2,333).

Decreases between 1996 and 1997 for individual groups were as follows: American Indians 31% (255 to 177), Blacks 14% (1,216 to 1,042), and Mexican-Americans 24% (1,397 to 1,055). Applications submitted by non-underrepresented groups decreased by 7% (from 23,906 to 22,323).

The total number of offers of admission to UC's medical schools has fluctuated little over the last seven years, but the number of underrepresented minorities offered admission has consistently decreased since 1993. In 1993, 304 underrepresented minorities were offered admission but by 1997 only 148 were offered admission. The largest one-year drop occurred from 1996 to 1997 (23%, from 193 to 148).

Decreases between 1996 and 1997 for individual groups were as follows: American Indians 57% (14 to 6), Blacks 24% (62 to 47), and Mexican-Americans 18% (111 to 91). Admission of non-underrepresented groups increased by 2% (from 966 to 988).

New student enrollment at UC's five medical schools remained the same from 1996 to 1997 with 569 students enrolled. Enrollment of underrepresented students dropped by 3 percent (73 to 71). American Indian enrollment dropped 33 percent (6 to 4) and Mexican-American/Chicano 5 percent (41 to 39). The number of African-American students enrolling increased by 4 percent (26 to 27). Enrollment of white and Asian-American students increased by 4 percent (262 to 272) and 6 percent (190 to 201) respectively.

Underrepresented minority enrollment has consistently decreased year-by-year since the high point of 117 in 1992. The largest one-year drop (24%) in underrepresented minorities occurred between 1995 and 1996 (96 to 73). Although Regents' Resolution SP-1 mandating changes in admission policies and practices was not in effect until 1997, the campuses had reported making some adjustments in their admission practices in 1996. Therefore, there was a small drop between 1996 and 1997 (73 to 71) because the changes in practice that had already occurred in 1996 had resulted in the large drop in numbers from 1995.

There have always been large variations in numbers of new underrepresented minorities by campus and over time. Over the last seven years, the range of extremes of underrepresented minorities by campus were as follows:

• Davis -- 31 in 1993 and 2 in 1996
• Irvine -- 17 in 1992 and 1 in 1997
• Los Angeles -- 31 in 1994 and 1997 and 19 in 1991
• San Diego -- 22 in 1994 and 2 in 1997
• San Francisco -- 42 in 1995 and 26 in 1997

New enrollment in University of California graduate academic programs increased 1 percent from 6,967 students in fall 1996 to 7,040 in 1997. African-American student enrollment increased by 2 percent (213 to 218) in fall 1997 from fall 1996. Students whose ethnicity is unknown increased by 25 percent (393 to 491). Asian-American enrollment declined 9 percent (1,045 to 950), Chicano/Latino 9 percent (508 to 464), American Indian 2 percent (55 to 54) and white 2 percent (3,564 to 3,501).

In 1997, only 5 percent of applicants to UC professional schools gained entry and ultimately enrolled in UC law, medical and business school programs. Overall enrollment of new students in law, medicine and business schools increased by 12 percent over the past three years, totaling 2,251 in 1997. The total in 1996 was 2,132 and in 1995 it was 2,005.

1st appeared 1/21/98

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