UC On Track To Enroll Thousands More CA Resident Undergrads Next Fall

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- University of California admissions officials say they are on track to meet their goal of enrolling 5,000 more undergraduates from within the state next fall.

The university reported Monday that 66,123 California high school students have so far been offered admission to one of the public system's nine undergraduate campuses.

That's 14.7 percent more than the number of California residents who had been accepted as freshmen at this time last year and 7 percent more than the number who ultimately were offered seats for fall 2015.

State lawmakers have been pressuring the university to prioritize California residents in admissions decisions over higher-paying nonresidents.

This year's state budget includes an extra $25 million for the UC system if it registers 5,000 more in-state freshmen and transfer students by the 2016-17 academic year.