With over 8,000 incoming freshmen, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) made history and broke its record in annual college acceptances. The fall 2025 cycle saw 76% first-year students and 57% transfer students call themselves Highlanders, raising the admittance rate to 87.1%. This marks a 24% increase in admittance rates from fall 2024, increasing from 6,690 to 8,293 students.
Compared to the other UCs, UCR definitely stands out as a leader in terms of admitting freshmen. UC Santa Cruz accepted 72.9% of their applicants, which accounts for about 6,200 new students walking on campus. Additionally, UC Santa Barbara ranks in third place for the highest admittance rate, with 7,500 new freshmen, accounting for about 38% of accepted students.
According to the UCR Undergraduate Admissions, the record-breaking admissions are due to the growing access to higher education, increased applications from California residents and an influx of new majors to choose from. UCR’s high acceptance rates show that the campus is moderately selective and favored against other highly selective colleges, such as UC Santa Cruz or UC Santa Barbara. If a student has a strong application and a good GPA, they stand a good chance in the application process.
Accepting over 77% of California students — a seven percent increase from last year — UCR will play a huge role in supporting the state’s students, research and future workforce. Additionally, the new majors at UCR and the brand-new School of Business building are another reason for increased enrollment as new business analytics majors are further supported at UCR.
However, the newly joining class at UCR limits resources, especially on-campus housing and transportation. Although the majority are California residents, about 4,600 students reside in the Bay Area and the Central Valley, making the option of commuting impossible. The housing market around University Village and eastside neighborhoods have been getting “compressed” with rent prices hiking up each year.
The grand opening of North District II also marks the beginning of a trend where freshmen are allowed spaces in expensive campus apartments instead of being limited to residential dorms. The demand for space has outpaced supply for student-friendly apartments and has now become not so “student-friendly” in terms of rents, even off-campus. The expected monthly rents in North District II for single rooms range from $1,500 to $1,700, with a variable utilities plan.
As the new freshmen class graduates to their second year and moves off-campus, Riverside will also begin to see limitations rise in transportation services and resources. The Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) program, which is free for UCR students, will see an increase in passengers for academic and recreational purposes. On the same note, those with cars will see even more competition for available parking spaces.
Apart from lifestyle changes and limitations, UCR will likely face a challenge in accommodating a large class size. The class registration process may take months and R’Web will become slower and face more technical issues. This not only adds strain to working staff but also to students as they struggle through the tears of not having a class they need to graduate.
With the same amount of space in lecture halls, fitting 8,000 new students — even if divided amongst an infinite number of class offerings — would be difficult as well. Most classes already have a limited number of seats, making the waitlist longer and the stress on students higher. Unfortunately, if worst comes to worst, graduation rates will drop if graduation requirements for students cannot be fulfilled.
Another impact of this is the reduction in student-professor interactions. Even though professors hold office hours, they would be filled with a herd of students trying to make an impression for that letter of recommendation. This connection should be natural, not a competition.
Although UCR’s commitment to expanding access to higher education is admirable, the ratio of students to resources must be considered. Expanding resources will take time, but expanding course offerings, maximizing scheduling and expanding housing infrastructure are essential. This not only allows students to continue learning comfortably, but also provides the support they need at their home away from home.
