With additional state funding for the University of California system still up in the air, UC System President Janet Napolitano said campuses will keep in-state enrollment numbers flat this year.
Angering many Californians is the decision to increase the number of admitted out-of-state students who pay higher tuition. While out-of-state acceptances at UCLA and Berkeley will be capped at this year's numbers, a UC spokesperson said other campuses will admit between 800 and 1,000 more out-of-state residents for Fall 2015.
Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, called Tuesday's announcement unacceptable.
"We've said the mission should be to educate California students. This latest action basically wait lists California students," Atkins said. "So it disadvantages our own students in California, while allowing students from other states and other countries to have better access, basically."
The decision will likely mean that many more California students will find themselves receiving wait list notifications later this month. Applications across the UC system are at an all-time high for the 11th year in a row, rising 6.5 percent this fall.
John F. Kennedy High School guidance counselor David Drotts said Napolitano's decision and increasing competition in the application process means many high school students will be disappointed -- and facing tough decisions.
"I think a lot of those students will now choose another option because they they don't want to wait," Drotts said. "Because if you're on a waitlist, you don't know if your number is every going to show up."
For her part, however, Atkins said she hopes Napolitano will be convinced to lift the cap on California students before waitlist notifications are sent out later this month.
"We've got to make sure the priority will be opening up slots for California students," she said.
Other resources
While the UC system may be out of the picture for many, there is a program that seeks to make quality state schools more affordable for California students.
The Western Undergraduate Exchange program allows students to apply for reduced tuition rates at state schools equal to 150 percent of the in-state rate. The exchange includes more than 150 schools in 15 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
