The University of California announced today (Feb. 24) that its campuses received a record-breaking number of applications for fall 2022.? For the second year, UC Merced saw an increase of applicants, with 26,043 first-year students looking to become part of the Bobcat community, up from last year’s 25,458.?Another 4,004 college students applied to transfer into the university this fall — 3,664 from California community colleges — for a total of more than 30,000 applicants for admission.