For the first time in the University of California's history, Latino students are now the biggest ethnic group of the university's incoming freshman class.

In the University of California (UC) Office of the President released data stating it had a record number of freshman class admissions to at least one of its nine undergraduate campuses for the fall semester.

The number of Latino students admitted to UC now surpassed the number of Asian American students in the university. Latino students account for 35% of the freshman class, followed by Asian Americans at 35%.

Last year, the Latino freshman population in the university made up 34% of the total. White, Black, and American Indian newcomers made up 21%, 5%, and 0.5%.

UC President Janet Napolitano said the present time is "incredibly challenging" for students who had to make their college decisions in the middle of the pandemic. "UC continues to see increased admissions of underrepresented students as we seek to educate a diverse student body of future leaders," she said.

UC Freshman Admission Increased

As universities are struggling with holding classes in the middle of a pandemic, UC says it expects an increase in its total 2020-21 resident enrollment by around 1,600. This is to add to over 17,700 California-based students who have been in the university since 2014-15, reported CBS Los Angeles.

The university also saw an increase in low-income students, reported The Sacramento Bee. They made up 44% of admitted students.

There was also an increase in first-generation students. First-generation students are the students who are the first in their family to attend college. In UC, this accounted for 45% of admitted students.

Los Angeles Times reported that the UC system's nine undergraduate campuses admitted a record number of 119,054 freshmen. This is up from 108, 178, from last year.

Twenty-eight thousand seventy-four transfer students from the California Community Colleges system were also admitted to the campuses.

As fall approaches, most UC campuses have announced plans on holding hybrid classes with both in-class and remote learning. 

Hispanic Dropout Rate Hits New Low

According to a 2017 report from Pew Research Center, the U.S. Hispanics' high school dropout rate had fallen to a new low. The data extends a decades-long decline.

The study had data from more than 6.5 million Hispanics aged 18 to 24.

In 2016, the dropout rate was 10%. Pew Research Center recorded about 648,000 Hispanics had not completed high school and are not enrolled in school. Five years before, the rate was 16%.

The rate dropped along with the overall high school dropout rate in the U.S., as it has in recent decades.

More Hispanics in College

With the dropout rate falling, the number of Hispanic high school graduates who enroll in college went up. In 1999, the rate of Hispanics in college was just 32%. Come 2016; the rate went up to 47%.

If this data is compared to white, black, and Asian high school graduates, Hispanics' share in the increase was more modest.

The record of Hispanics enrolled in public and private colleges in the U.S. is 3.6 million in 2016. This is nearly twice higher than the 1.3 who were enrolled in 1999.

Even though there had been strides in education in recent times, the research center noted that the ethnic group is still lagging behind others in other academic measures as Hispanics are less likely to have a four-year college degree.

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