UC Davis this fall enrolled its largest number of transfer students even as UC budget constraints reduced the size of the freshman class.

New students who transferred from a community college or university number 2,219 this fall, compared with last fall’s 1,914, for a 15.9 percent increase. The 4,412 new freshmen coming directly from high school represent an 11.3 percent decrease from last fall’s 4,972.

In all, record fall enrollment of 32,153 represents an increase of about 2.3 percent from last fall’s 31,426.

Frank Wada, executive director of Undergraduate Admissions and university registrar, said the changes among new undergraduates are in keeping with a UC Board of Regents vote in January to curtail enrollment for UC’s freshman class and increase the number of transfer students.

In the long term, UC Davis is planning to increase the proportion of transfer students in the entering class, currently about 33 percent, to about 35 percent by fall 2020.

Average GPA climbs

Wada said UC Davis recruiters and advisers worked closely with community college advisers and students to achieve the increase in transfers. For fall 2009, UC Davis wrote almost 20 percent more agreements guaranteeing admission for California community college students who fulfilled certain academic conditions. Additionally, UC Davis guaranteed housing to transfer students for the first time in years.

Among freshmen who reported parental income, 38.4 percent are considered low income (their family size and income level make them eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch through the National School Lunch Program); last fall, 36.3 percent were from low-income families.

The average grade point average of the freshman class is 3.85, compared with 3.79 in fall 2008. The average SAT score of enrolled freshmen is 1791, up from the average score of 1764 in fall 2008.

Among transfer students, the average GPA for college studies remained constant at 3.32.

Read more at www.news.ucdavis.edu.