Message from Chancellor Christ Regarding Berkeley Admissions Cap

Below is a message from the Chancellor to Cal alumni and friends. It involves a rollback to an earlier admissions cap that UC Berkeley is appealing.

[emphasis is mine]

Dear Cal alumni and friends:

While I rarely write with urgent news, I would like to share important information about a rapidly evolving situation.

On Feb. 10, the California Court of Appeal issued a decision requiring UC Berkeley to adhere to a lower court order to freeze student enrollment at 42,347, the same level as 2020-21.  (The decision was one element of a larger lawsuit brought by a community group opposed to a proposed campus development project.) On Feb. 14, the university appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court of California. If left intact, the court’s decision would have a devastating impact on prospective students, admissions, operations, and the university’s ability to serve California students by meeting the enrollment targets set by the state.

A large number of new and continuing students temporarily suspended their enrollment in 2020-21 because of the pandemic. By tying its unprecedented action to this anomalous year, the court has effectively forced future enrollment to match the dramatically lower enrollment rate experienced during the height of the pandemic. We estimate that we would have to reduce the number of new undergraduates enrolled for 2022-23 by about one-third — or at least 3,050 fewer students. This decrease would be a tragic outcome for thousands of students who have worked so hard to gain admission to Berkeley.

The reduction would also have serious financial consequences. We currently project at least $57 million in lost tuition, fees, and state support, which would impact our ability to deliver instruction, provide financial aid for low and middle-income students, adequately fund critical student services, and maintain our facilities.

We are pursuing options for avoiding this scenario, yet should they fall through, we will do everything we can to mitigate the impacts on prospective students and the campus community. Please read the university’s full statement and stay tuned as the situation evolves. As our cherished alumni and friends, thank you for standing with us in ensuring that thousands of high school seniors who deserve admission to UC Berkeley are not denied that chance.

Carol T. Christ
Chancellor