The University of California Office of the President issued a statement last month announcing that 39,989 of the 76,682 Fall 2011 freshman applicants admitted system-wide submitted a Statement of Intent to Register.

This year’s registering class — up nearly 5,000 from last year’s 34,116 freshman SIR’s — is expected to increase in ethnic and geographic diversity, with nonresidents constituting 13.9 percent this year compared to last year’s 10.7 percent, and minority students accounting 30 percent this year, up from 27 percent in 2010. UCSB freshman SIRs rose 14.2 percent to total 4,412 and transfer SIR’s dropped 2.1 percent.

According to UC President Mark Yudof, state funding cuts and tuition hikes have not inhibited the administration’s goal of maintaining a stable enrollment.

“Demand from highly qualified and diverse California residents is stronger than ever,” Yudof said in a press release.

Despite the steady registration rates, fourth-year English major Tara Semaan said the UC system’s policies of increasing enrollment and out-of-state students is a detriment to its long-term educational quality.

“They should focus on the students they have and bringing back classes instead of bringing in more and more students,” Semaan said. “And if they keep admitting more students than the previous year, they’re just going to keep having these same problems with the budget. It seems like the UC is going to have a lot of trouble getting back on its feet if things don’t change.”

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