US education experts estimate that the recent record number of applications to study at the University of California – the greatest in 154 years of history – is a result of advances in inclusion and representation policies, which aimed to increase the number of enrollment rates for Latino, African American, and many other cultures and ethnicities.

At the public university that distributes its activities across nine campuses, 41% of undergraduates are the first in their families to obtain a degree, and 57% of undergraduates do not pay tuition, according to the official website.

For the third year in a row, the largest ethnic group of freshman applicants is made of Latinos, accounting for 38.1% of applications, up 4.1% from the previous year, according to a recent report from the University of California. Black student enrollments increased 2.8% in 2021, and Asian-American students increased 5.8%.

The report explain that these results are related to the greater dissemination strategy of the university's requirements system.

Lisa García Bedolla of the University of California, vice dean of graduate studies at Berkeley and professor at the Graduate School of Education told NBC News that the university’s student representation policy has improved, but there is still “a long way to go”.

According to the publication, Professor Bedolla explained that “the campus at Berkeley has reached out to underserved students in parts of the state, including the Central Valley, parts of Northern California and the Imperial Valley, by holding virtual meetings and virtual campus tours”, which has enabled the university's intention to reach parts of the state (of greater cultural and ethnic diversity) where there were no student applications.

The application process also allowed access to the number of applicants because it suspended from the requirements until 2024, the standardized tests known as the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test – admission test consisting of three assessment areas: writing, language and interpretation of texts and mathematics, plus a mandatory essay) and ACT (American College Testing – admission test in the same areas as the SAT, with a supplementary section that assesses candidates' scientific reasoning).

There has also been an increase in socioeconomic diversity, with the proportion of California freshman applicants from low-income families (46%), and California community college transfer requests from low-income families (56 %).

Enrollment at the state’s community colleges has declined dramatically since 2020 due to the pandemic, according to the university report: “For Latinos, who account for almost half (47.8 percent) of all confirmed Covid-19 cases in California and 44.1 percent of all confirmed deaths, the pandemic has added economic, health, and family stressors outside the classroom", said Bedolla.

“According to an analysis by the San Francisco Chronicle, while Latinos represented almost half of all Californians ages 18 to 24-49 percent — they accounted for 25 percent of the overall 2021 UC freshman class”.

Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education Tolani Britton noted the importance not only of publicizing the enrollment application process, but also of completing college, and highlighted the importance of supporting and monitoring by the university to these students from the beginning of their studies.