UC Berkeley may reject 5,100 qualified applicants due to housing feud
The campus said a court ruling could force it to send 5,100 fewer admissions offers.
UC Berkeley administrators sent a letter to student applicants this week warning that a recent court order could force the university to slash its projected undergraduate admissions by more than 3,000 slots.
“We recognize the amount of heart, energy and intellect each student pours into their application, and today’s news is incredibly disappointing,” wrote Olufemi Ogundele, assistant vice chancellor and director of undergraduate admissions at UC Berkeley, in a letter posted on Twitter by a Berkeley city councilmember. “Please continue to consider Berkeley as we challenge the court ruling and continue to fight for everyone of these thousands of students who worked so hard for, and earned, a seat at UC Berkeley.”
The warning stems from a yearslong legal spat between a group of neighbors and the prestigious university over a campus expansion plan. On Thursday, a state appeals court upheld an August ruling in which a judge sided with the neighborhood group, ordering UC Berkeley to freeze its enrollment at 2020-21 levels. The judge had found that the university did not complete an adequate report on the environmental impacts of expanding enrollment, as required by state law.
UC Berkeley receives more than 100,000 thousand applications annually and typically offers admissions to 21,000 high school and transfer students for the fall semester. The university in a statement said that capping enrollment at 2020-21 levels, which dipped because of the pandemic, will force it to send 5,100 fewer admissions offers.
The admissions reduction will come solely from freshman and transfer students, as graduate offers have already gone out.
The court decision would reduce enrollment on the campus from 45,057 to 42,347 students. UC Berkeley argued in its appeal that the enrollment drop could mean $57 million in projected revenue losses, devastating its ability to provide financial aid and fund student services and building maintenance.
The enrollment cap could lead to record numbers of California high school students being denied entry to UC Berkeley. The school is processing more than 150,000 applications from in-state, out-of-state and international students, meaning its acceptance rate would hover around 10 percent if 15,900 students are offered a spot.
UC Berkeley has asked the California Supreme Court to intervene in the case before March 23, when it will begin sending out admissions offers.