UC BERKELEY acceptance rate will be 8% from 14.5% for Class of 2026

Yesterday the CA Supreme Court issued a "STAY" on the UC Berkeley lawsuit to hold total enrollment at 2020 levels (42347). This implies that UCB must reduce freshman enrollment by 2500 from current levels.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/us/uc-berkeley-admissions-enrollment.html

Why is this happening? Simple reason is that UCB has been very irresponsible to managing the environmental, societal impact on the Berkeley neighborhood. Their inability to house and feed all the new students because of an accelerated growth plan, meant that ordinary people living in Berkeley have been outpriced from renting or buying in the neighborhood. In addition there are more police reports of violence, noise, parking problems and garbage. As I have alluded to in other posts, the inability for Urban Colleges to build more dorms/facilities, dining halls will make them less attractive in the future and cause applicants to weigh the cost/benefit of matriculating into schools that do not adequately support them.

For the Class of 2025, UCB had 112821 applicants, admitted 16412 (14.5%) and matriculated 6565 (40% yield rate). This year they received 128100 applicants and expect a similar 40% yield rate. To get to a matriculation number of 4065 which is exactly 2500 less than last year, they need to get to admit number of 10163. Why because 40% of 10163 = 4065.

The bad news is that the acceptance rate will be 7.93% to accomplish that. (10163/128100)=7.93%

If Berkeley Admissions feel that the yield rate will increase because other colleges are putting the squeeze on acceptance rates like Boston University which announced this week a similar plan, then they will admit even less.

Exacerbating this is the global supply chain which makes it difficult for anyone to build both commercial and residential properties during the global pandemic over the last 2 years. Now we are in the middle of the Russo-Ukrainian war so many wealthy European and Eastern European families want their kids to leave and study in the West. My gut tells me that Top colleges will be in more and more demand as COVID insecurity comes to an end and more flow of US Student Visas will be available.

Again, whenever I post a discussion, I award 20 Karma to the best response. Please complete the survey