UCLA Experiences Surge in 2024 Transfer Applications, Increase in First-Year California Applicants

UCLA received a total of 173,400 applications for fall 2024 admission, including 146,250 from first-year applicants and 27,150 from transfer applicants, representing a 2% rise over last year.

The increase was largely driven by a steep surge in transfer applicants and an uptick in applications for first-year admission from California residents. UCLA remains the most applied-to four-year university in the nation.

Applications from transfer students jumped by 3,200, or 13%, compared with last year,  and the share of transfer applicants from underrepresented backgrounds rose slightly, to approximately 38% of the transfer applicant total.

“We are very excited to see such a robust increase in applications from transfer students,” said Gary Clark, UCLA’s associate vice chancellor for enrollment management. “It’s encouraging that transfer applications have rebounded following the decreases we experienced due to enrollment declines at community colleges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Transfer students are a vital part of the undergraduate experience at UCLA and a top priority for our campus and the University of California system.”

The number of first-year applicants grew slightly in 2024, primarily due to an increase of 1,540, or 1.7%, in applications from California residents.

The proportion of first-year applicants from historically underrepresented groups remained strong. Among those from California, African Americans represented 7% of the total, while Chicano/Latino and American Indian students accounted for 36% and 1%, respectively. Overall, 43% of first-year California applicants come from underrepresented backgrounds.