LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- A professor of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) who suspects the school is cheating to illegally admit more black students has resigned from its admissions committee, according to a report Friday.

    Tim Groseclose, a political science professor at UCLA, said he resigned from the commission after the university refused to provide him the materials he needs to investigate his suspicions.

    "A growing body of evidence strongly suggests that UCLA is cheating on admissions. Specifically, applicants often reveal their own race on the essay portion of the application," the professor was quoted as saying by local newspaper the Orange County Register.

    University officials said Groseclose's accusations are false and they are following the law.

    One of the most sought-after universities in the Unites States, UCLA has been banned under a California law from using race as an admissions criteria, along with other state public universities.

    According to the newspaper, students typically report their race on their applications, but university officials who evaluate the files don't see names, race or ethnicity, and they are supposed to ignore if race does come up in an application.

    UCLA has been under pressure to increase the number of black students, particularly since a 2006 public outcry over the fact that only 96 of the nearly 5,000 freshmen who enrolled at the university were African American.

    Gloseclose said he favors the idea of offering preferences to bring in more black students, but he is unhappy over a "lack of transparency" in the process.

    According to the newspaper, 235 black freshmen plan to enroll for the fall term at UCLA this year, about 5 percent of the freshman class and more than double the 2006 number.