UCSD admits 4,000 more students than it did a year ago, continuing unprecedented growth

UC San Diego admitted roughly 4,000 more freshmen and transfer students for the fall than it did a year ago, which could squeeze an already crowded school that’s struggling with a big shortage of on-campus housing.

UCSD says it offered admission to 35,984 freshmen and 12,298 transfer students, hitting a record total of 48,282. The previous year, the school admitted 32,061 freshmen and 12,264 transfers — or 44,325. More than 10,000 of those students accepted the offer.

Only UC Santa Cruz (54,381) and UC Davis (51,312) made more admission offers for the fall than UCSD. Unlike La Jolla, neither of those campuses have embraced huge expansion.

In recent years, UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla has said that he’d like to see the university grow far more slowly to give the school time to build up its infrastructure. The sentiment has been echoed by some faculty who say they often avoid campus because it is so crowded and there’s endless construction on high-rise dorms.  But enrollment has reached record highs every year for more than a decade, peaking last fall at 42,376. The university says it is on pace to hit 50,000 in 10 to 15 years.

A record 22,000 students will live in university-owned housing this fall. But roughly 2,...