UC Berkeley international enrollment rises 29% as national numbers fall

Berkeley’s 29% surge — nearly six times the UC system’s 5% gain — suggests elite public research universities can resist a more hostile visa climate in the near term, even as most American campuses saw significant declines. The university faces competing pressures going forward, including state budget uncertainty and a housing shortage that has constrained how fast enrollment can grow.

New international student enrollment at UC Berkeley grew 29% this academic year to 2,363 students, according to University of California data released Thursday, as new international enrollments fell 17% at U.S. campuses nationwide. The growth came despite a federal immigration crackdown that has deterred some foreign students from studying in the United States. UC-wide, new international student enrollment grew by about 5%.

Berkeley’s 29% surge — nearly six times the UC system’s gain — suggests elite public research universities can resist a more hostile visa climate in the near term. The university also recorded its largest-ever student body, with 46,151 students enrolled this fall, up from 45,882 the previous year.

“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,” said Jesse Rothstein, director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Studies in Higher Education. “And those worries didn’t materialize.”

Rothstein attributed Berkeley’s relative strength in international recruitment to the institution’s standing. “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,” he said.

Record enrollment and nonresident recruitment

Overall international student enrollment held steady at Cal at about 6,000, with China sending the most students, followed by India, South Korea, and Canada.

UC Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore said the university intentionally sought to increase the number of new students who were not California residents, in part to compensate for a dip the previous year and a large number of nonresident students graduating. Those students tend to pay higher tuition than California residents, Gilmore said.

New U.S. students from outside California increased 29%, with total nonresident domestic enrollment up about 6%, to 4,732.

California residents and the budget compact

Californians nevertheless make up the vast majority of UC Berkeley’s student body. California undergraduates reached a record high of 26,670 this year.

That mirrors a systemwide trend. Under a compact with Gov. Gavin Newsom, the University of California has gradually enrolled more California residents over the past few years in exchange for predictable annual 5% budget increases from the state. Last year, the state deferred that increase to close a budget gap, and it is unclear whether lawmakers will restore it this year.

“The challenge will be going forward to ensure we continue to provide slots for California students who want to go to UC,” said Hans Johnson, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California.

The UC system overall surpassed 300,000 students for the first time this school year. In releasing the fall enrollment numbers, UC officials cited funding pressures from both state and federal sources.

Housing as a growth constraint

Limited housing stock has constrained how much the university has been able to grow enrollment, Rothstein said. Berkeley has been building new dormitories and aims to guarantee every student two years of on-campus housing by 2027.

“You need to do it very gradually so you can build out the services you need,” Rothstein said.

Demographics

Women outnumber men among UC Berkeley students, 52% to 44%. Engineering remains the most popular undergraduate major for those who have declared one.

The number of undergraduates identifying as American Indian has increased incrementally each year since 2021, when UC launched its Native American Opportunity Plan, which covers 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 in the uptick, along with increased outreach to Native American students and work with campus affinity groups to recruit and retain them.