By City News Service

More than 21,500 freshmen were admitted to UC Riverside for the fall 2015 term -- nearly 3 percent more than last year, it was announced Thursday. Admissions data provided by the University of California system confirmed that UCR was among a half-dozen UC campuses where freshmen enrollment grew year-over-year. Only three UC campuses had negative or no growth.

The total number of first-time college students accepted at UCR was 21,582, compared to 21,021 in 2014, translating to a 2.7 percent increase. In-state freshmen admissions for the fall term are up 6.5 percent from a year ago, though the number of out-of-state student admissions -- 706 -- is down 36 percent compared to last year. The number of international students -- 1,639 -- is also down from a year ago.

Factoring in both first-time college students and those transferring from community colleges, the total number of enrollees being welcomed by UCR for the 2015-16 academic year stands at 27,082, a 3 percent increase from 2014, when a total 26,276 freshmen and transfer students were accepted. Whether all those students who received acceptance letters show up for classes on Sept. 21 remains to be seen, but according to UC officials, a "high percentage" are expected to follow through.

The data showed Asian-Americans formed the largest block of new UCR enrollees at 35 percent, followed closely by Hispanics at 34 percent. Pacific Islanders comprised the smallest group at .2 percent.