As springtime nears, upperclassmen students contemplate where they will continue their educational careers. For the majority, University of California (UC) schools are at the forefront of their minds. While some students opt for an alternative college route, others have applied and hope to choose UC schools for their college careers. 

Archie Williams College and Career Specialist Lisa Neumaier has worked with several Marin County schools throughout her 13-year career. At Archie Williams, she assists students with planning for the next phase of their academic development. 

“The University of California system and our California State University (CSU) system, the two public school systems we have for higher education in the state of California, are two of the most reasonably priced colleges [for California residents], and I think that is why so many people apply. That doesn’t necessarily tie in with their acceptance rates,” Neumaier said.

An influx of Archie Williams students apply to UC schools every year, hoping to receive letters of acceptance. 

“For UC Berkeley last year for the class of 2023, we had 61 applicants. Three were admitted, and one was enrolled. On the other hand, last year for the class of 2023, we had 70 applicants to UCLA; six got in, and all six enrolled there,” Neumaier said.

Receiving acceptance letters to UC schools has always been competitive, but admissions have become increasingly cutthroat since the COVID-19 pandemic and the system opting to go test-blind. Pre-COVID acceptances were significantly higher than post-COVID, with 48 students from Archie Williams applying to UCLA in 2018 and 12 students being admitted.

“Back in 2020, the UC system and the CSU system decided to be test-blind, which means they’re no longer considering an ACT or SAT score as part of their admissions,” Neumaier said. 

Each year, the number of applicants from Archie Williams to UC schools has increased since the decision to become test-blind. The heightened demand for spots inevitably intensified the competition for available spots, driving up tuition fees. 

What affects the acceptance rate for any college is the number of applications every single year… If the price of tuition were to dramatically increase, that may make some of our students not apply,” Neumaier said.

One of the main determinants of a student’s decision to apply to UCs or explore other non-UC schools is the cost of tuition.

“Most college tuition goes up every single year, or the cost of the college goes up. But some schools in the UC system have these programs where they “freeze” the tuition for four years so that families can plan accordingly,” Neumaier said.

The UC system is not alone in increasing tuition costs. Their in-state tuition rates as well as their tuition “freeze” program have proven to be a suitable option for certain families to help their young adults through college. 

“I knew that the UC schools were cheaper in California. For example, one of the other schools I was talking to was Tulane [University], but it was quite expensive, so my parents were like, “That’s too expensive” unless I got a half scholarship,” said senior Reese Fraser. “I wanted to stay in the state, and I liked that UC Davis was close to home. They also have really good academics.” 

Reese committed to UC Davis to play for their Division I beach volleyball program. She prefers UC schools over other schools out of state because of how convenient and close they are to her hometown.

“When I was reaching out to coaches, I did reach out to other schools outside of California, but I knew coming down to it that I didn’t want to be far from home,” Reese said.  

In the end, Reese found UC Davis to be the right fit for her athletic and academic career.

Out of the many Archie Williams students who applied to UC schools, only a handful of them received acceptance letters. Acceptances for the Class of 2028 have proven to be extraordinarily difficult to come by, and the process has left some students pursuing alternative routes.

Senior Jack Gross, an aspiring business major, believes that UC schools are unable to supply the right classes and credentials for him to fulfill his future in business.

“Well, in my particular scenario, I’m a business major, and many people may not know this, but the UC schools don’t offer undergraduate majors for people who want to go into business. All they offer is business economics, which is more just economics,” Jack said.

Despite UC schools not offering business major classes, they still stand as options to consider for Jack because of the cheap tuition prices for students in California and the quality of education they provide.

“That part of the UC schools doesn’t apply to me, but just the cheapness and the degree of how well UC schools teach and their location just really applies to me and a lot of other people,” Jack said.

While UC schools may not be for everyone, many students aspire to attend them for their college careers. As the demand for spots increases, the competition continues to grow every year.