Record diversity in freshman class
Enrollment data shows the highest percent of first-generation students at USC.
USC released the highlights of its undergraduate enrollment data Oct. 5. The release featured record numbers of first-generation college students and a record number of Latine students. Twenty-five percent of students are the first in their family to attend college, up 3% from last year and up 11% from the Class of 2018.
“When I look at these numbers, I see a very healthy student body that’s really going to be able to benefit from the experience that USC has to offer,” said Dean of Admissions Tim Brunold. “The University in turn is going to benefit from the presence of this incredible group of students.”
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The statement also revealed that Latine students make up a record 20% of the first year class and 32% of students come from underrepresented groups, referring to Latine, Black and Indigenous students, and multiracial students from those groups.
Brunold attributed the high level of diversity to the USC Office of Admissions’ outreach efforts.
“Reviewing applications and selecting students is a very important part of [the process of enrollment],” Brunold said. “But earlier in the process, where we choose to reach out, who we choose to reach out to, where we go to visit, where we recruit, these are very important things and really do lay the groundwork for the rest of the enrollment cycle.”
Dineh Barragan, a freshman majoring in environmental studies, said the geographic focus of admissions representatives could be one factor in creating a diverse student body.
“[A wide range of backgrounds] goes with the admissions officers having focus on this certain demographic or region in order to target everyone, not just certain people,” Barragan said.
Students also said lowering tuition and costs of attendance could further increase USC’s diversity.
“A lot of families aren’t able to maybe pay tuition,” said Julian Lisboa, a freshman majoring in aerospace engineering. “They might not want to acquire a large amount of student loan student debt.”
The release also highlighted high academic achievement among the first-year students. The freshman class had an average high school GPA of 3.86 on a 4.0 scale, 0.13 points higher than nine years ago. The data continues an at least decade long upward trend in average GPA of the incoming class.
Nationwide college admissions decisions will occur in a different environment this year, with the United States Supreme Court deciding in June that schools could not weigh race as a factor in creating a diverse student body. Private schools across the country will begin operating under the same race-blind system that public universities in California have used for two decades.
In 1996, Californians passed Proposition 209, banning public universities from considering race in admissions. According to a 2020 study by Zachary Bleemer at Princeton University, enrollment among Black and Latine students fell by 40% the following year. In regards to the effect of the Court’s decision, Brunold pointed to a lag in knowledge of its impacts.
“Will the same thing happen at private institutions? We frankly don’t know,” Brunold said. “We’ll have to see what ends up happening at the end of the process. We’re not even really going to have a sense of that, until after the class has been admitted and after the class has been enrolled.”
Brunold said the decision would not impact how the University will conduct outreach or market itself to applicants.
“What we’re doing this year post the Students for Fair Admission decision is really similar to what we’ve done in past years, and that is that we’re reaching out to a broad cross section, not just of the potential college-going population in the U.S., but across the world,” Brunold said.
