49 percent of UC Irvine bachelor’s degrees earned by first-generation students

Over 8,200 Class of 2024 members will attend commencement ceremonies this month.
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Sheri Ledbetter
UCI News

UC Irvine will grant 11,034 degrees this academic year – 9,336 undergraduate, 1,146 master’s and 552 doctoral degrees.

Picture Credit:
Steve Zylius / UCI

Irvine, Calif., June 10, 2024 —More than 8,200 students and their families will attend University of California, Irvine commencement ceremonies between Friday, June 14, and Monday, June 17, in the campus’s Bren Events Center.

Overall, UC Irvine will grant 11,034 degrees this academic year – 9,336 undergraduate, 1,146 master’s and 552 doctoral degrees. And in a testament to the university’s dedication to access and affordability, 49 percent of those receiving bachelor’s degrees are first-generation college students. This large percentage of traditionally underserved students is one reason why UC Irvine has twice earned the No. 1 spot in a New York Times ranking of universities “doing the most for the American dream.”

“This graduating class highlights how well UC Irvine is serving the people of our state by offering a world-class education to the best and brightest students, regardless of their financial circumstances, and acting as a powerful engine of upward economic mobility,” said Chancellor Howard Gillman.

Graduates have benefitted from the high value of a UC Irvine education. Here is a list of campus accomplishments:

And in the 2019 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education rankings of the country’s universities, UC Irvine placed first for offering an inclusive, supportive learning environment.

In addition, the graduation data validates UCI’s continued status as a Hispanic-serving institution, a federal designation awarded to universities where at least 25 percent of undergraduates identify as Latino and at least half of all students get financial aid. This year, UCI will grant bachelor’s degrees to 2,227 Latinos, a number that has steadily increased for the past decade.

A schedule of graduation events, including cultural celebrations, is available on the UC Irvine commencement website. Degrees will be conferred at 12 ceremonies over four days. Overall, for the 2023-24 academic year, the breakdown is:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 9,336
  • Master’s degrees: 1,146
  • Ph.D.s: 280
  • Law degrees: 163 (conferred May 10)
  • Medical degrees: 109 (conferred May 18)
  • Community college transfer students earning bachelor’s degrees: 2,904
  • Federal Pell Grant recipients earning bachelor’s degrees: 3,736

For stories about the outstanding graduates, go to the #IamUCI special report, which profiles 15 of them. (Link: https://news.uci.edu/iamuci-class-of-2024)

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at https://news.uci.edu/media-resources.

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