Thursday upheld a lower court’s order that the prestigious university freeze enrollment at 2020 levels.
In a case that has drawn national attention, the ruling deals a blow to thousands of applicants to the prestigious public university and will cost millions in lost tuition, the university says. The decision favors neighbors who are trying to get the campus to stop adding new students without providing enough housing for them.
The ruling also means UC Berkeley will withhold acceptance letters from more than 5,000 qualified freshman and transfer applicants, not all of whom would have enrolled.
“This is devastating news for the thousands of students who have worked so hard for and have earned a seat in our fall 2022 class. Our fight on behalf of every one of these students continues,” the campus wrote in a statement following the Supreme Court decision.
On a 4-2 vote, in a one-sentence order, the court refused to lift the enrollment freeze ordered by an Alameda County judge and denied review of an appellate ruling requiring the university to conduct further environmental review of an off-campus construction project while it limits incoming enrollment. Justice Goodwin Liu dissented, voting to remove the freeze, and urged a neighborhood group and UC Berkeley to negotiate a settlement.