Last year UCLA made the top 20 on a prestigious list of the world's best universities.

Today the school announced that it has received nearly 100,000 applications for freshman spots and undergraduate transfer admissions, making it, UCLA, says …

… the most applied-to university in the country and one of the most sought-after colleges by exceptionally talented students from California and around the world.

The university says that while numbers are up, the quality and diversity of freshman applicants is also greater than last year, according to grades, test scores and self-reported stats.

Interestingly, Latinos made up a larger percentage of the applicant pool (nearly 30 percent — up 11.4 percent) than did whites (about 25 percent). Asians remained king of the campus with nearly 36 percent of the applicant pool, according to school statistics.

There were 80,472 freshman applications and 19,087 transfer-student applications for fall, UCLA says.

Fall 2012 students surveyed about why they chose UCLA said the school's academic reputation was paramount, but they also named … Los Angeles itself as a key attraction. (You know, that terrible place everyone says is turning into Mexico City).

Interestingly, freshman applications by out-of-staters were up 25 percent.

Chancellor Gene Block:

A diverse student body from California and beyond enriches our campus, brings unique perspectives and vibrancy to our classrooms, and makes us a truly global university in a global city.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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