SANTA CRUZ — More than 55,500 students applied for freshman admission to UC Santa Cruz for the fall 2019 term, applications data shows — down 1.3 percent from a record-setting prior year.

Transfer applications to the Santa Cruz campus fell by about a half a percent, to about 11,700.

Systemwide, freshman applications to the University of California’s nine undergraduate campuses fell about 3 percent percent to 176,530, while transfer applications held steady around 41,100.

Notably, the majority of campuses saw an increase in freshman applications from the prior year — UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. Students can apply to as many UC campuses as they choose, but are only counted once for the systemwide total.

Despite the slight drop in applicants, UCSC is well-positioned to meet its enrollment goals for both freshman and transfer students, according to Michelle Whittingham, associate vice chancellor of Enrollment Management.

“From a macro level, I’m really pleased seeing the outcomes,” Whittingham said.

The Santa Cruz campus has focused on recruiting transfer students in particular after failing to meet state targets to enroll at least one transfer student for every two freshmen in 2017, jeopardizing state funds. UCSC hit the target this year after rolling out a comprehensive recruitment campaign and extending its transfer applications deadlines — efforts that are ongoing.

New student enrollment may be slightly smaller than 2018, but also slightly more selective, Whittingham said. Campus enrollment targets are dictated by available state funding, housing and facilities, as well as the 2008 settlement with the city of Santa Cruz to cap enrollment at 19,500 students.

“We’re constantly balancing access and affordability,” she said.

It was not immediately clear what factors drove the overall decline in undergraduate applications to the UC system, which had set records for for 13 straight years. UCSC set its own freshman application record last year, with more than 56,000 applications.

A projected dip in California’s high school graduates this year could be a contributor. Other factors could be a potential change in the number of students who’ve completed more stringent UC requirements, called A-G, or more students opting to attend community college.

If more students are opting to attend community college, that should be reflected in higher transfer application rates two to three years down the road, Whittingham said.

Applications to UCSC continued to buck systemwide trends among some demographics. Freshman applications from international students continued to surge, up from 6,809 to 7,660, while falling overall across the UC system.

Fall 2019 Applications

UCSC

Freshmen: 55,533 (-1.3 percent)

Transfers: 11,729 (-0.6 percent)

UC system

Freshman: 176,530 (-3.0 percent)

Transfers: 41,120 (+0.1 percent)