UC Berkeley enrolled more new international students this school year than the previous year, defying a broader national drop that researchers linked to worries tied to immigration enforcement, according to University of California enrollment data released Thursday and reported by the Associated Press.
The university’s new international student enrollment rose by 29% to 2,363, even as a national pattern showed new international student enrollment falling by 17% at campuses nationwide, based on a November report from the Institute of International Education. UC-wide, new international student counts grew by about 5%, the data showed.
University officials framed the results as a sign that concerns about federal immigration policy had not prevented prospective students from coming to UC Berkeley at the level UC expected. “If you go back to the beginning of the summer, there was a real worry about whether international students would get visas, and whether they would want to come,” Jesse Rothstein, director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Studies in Higher Education, said. Rothstein added, “And those worries didn’t materialize.”
Rothstein also suggested that even if fewer people want to come to the United States, those who still do would prefer a top public option. “There may be fewer who want to come to the U.S., but those that want to come would rather go to the best public university in the country,” Rothstein said.
UC Berkeley said overall international student enrollment held steady at about 6,000. The university’s international student population was led by China, followed by India, South Korea and Canada. Among undergraduate enrollment, Californians also made up a large share: California undergraduates reached a record high of 26,670 this year, and the university said it welcomed 46,151 students from California.
The AP report said UC Berkeley intentionally worked to increase new enrollment of students who were not California residents to offset factors that included a dip in the previous year and the large number of nonresident students graduating. It said those nonresident students typically pay higher tuition than California residents.
New U.S. students from outside California rose by 29%, and total nonresident domestic enrollment increased by about 6% to 4,732. The University of California system overall surpassed 300,000 students for the first time this school year, while UC officials highlighted the value of a UC education and sounded alarms about federal and state funding cuts.
UC Berkeley’s growth strategy has also been shaped by housing constraints. The university has been building new dorms as part of a plan aiming to ensure every student two years of on-campus housing by 2027, and Rothstein said enrollment growth needed to be paced alongside service expansion. “You need to do it very gradually so you can build out the services you need,” he said.
Officials said UC Berkeley continues to see gender and major patterns similar to recent years, with women making up 52% of students and men 44%, and engineering remaining the most popular declared undergraduate major. The report also said the number of undergraduates identifying as American Indian has increased each year since 2021, when UC launched its Native American Opportunity Plan covering tuition and fees for students enrolled in federally recognized tribes. Adam Hillier, director of strategic initiatives in UC Berkeley’s undergraduate admissions office, said the program was one factor, along with boosted outreach and coordination with campus affinity groups.
In addition to enrollment figures, the report described the relationship between UC admissions and state budgeting. Under a compact with Gov. Gavin Newsom, UC has gradually increased enrollment of California residents in exchange for predictable annual 5% budget increases from the state, though the state deferred that increase last year to close a budget gap. Hans Johnson, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, said the key challenge going forward would be maintaining seats for California students who want to attend UC. “The challenge will be going forward to ensure we continue to provide slots for California students who want to go to UC,” Johnson said.
UC system officials also emphasized access to public higher education. Han Mi Yoon-Wu, associate vice provost for Systemwide Undergraduate Admissions, said, “A UC degree, that has proven to pay dividends, is the gold standard for public higher education,” and added, “We want every Californian to know that a UC degree is possible for them.”
This story has been updated to correct the increase in new international students at UC Berkeley. It was 29%, not 43%. This story was originally published by Berkeleyside and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.