At the close of the Fall 2014 application period, the California State University system reported receiving a record number of more than 760,000 total applications. This was a 2 percent increase in the number of Fall 2013 applicants.
More than 790,000 applications were received for the fall, spring and summer application periods combined in 2012-13.
The deadline to apply for Fall 2014 was Nov. 30, 2013. As the nation’s largest four-year public university system, the CSU system encompasses 23 campuses across the state of California, including San Diego State.
SDSU also had a record number of Fall 2014 applicants. The Office of Admissions reported receiving 77,375 applications by the Nov. 30 deadline. The number of applicants to SDSU increased 4 percent from the Fall 2013 number, which was 74,458. The school was ranked 14th on the list of Up-and-Coming Schools according to U.S. News & World Report‘s annual ranking of America’s best colleges.
“SDSU is known for its quality academic and co-curricular programs in a variety of disciplines,” SDSU Media Relations Specialist Natalia Elko said. “With opportunities to participate in top-quality research and international study, the university has been recognized nationally as a campus where diverse students from all financial backgrounds can thrive.”
SDSU was one of five CSU campuses to receive more than 50,000 applications for Fall 2014, along with Fullerton, Long Beach, Northridge, and San Luis Obispo.
“We very actively recruit students in our local service area and outside of California which contributes to the increase of applicants to SDSU,” SDSU Admissions Counselor Shira Scott said. “The selection process of applicants is going to be more competitive as applications increase.”
An increase of CSU applications was recorded every year for the past eight years, CSU Director of Public Affairs Michael Uhlenkamp said.
“It’s the result of more people realizing the value of a college degree,” Uhlenkamp said “People are understanding how important it is in terms of career earnings.”
Across the CSU system, enrollment numbers have increased annually, along with the number of applications submitted. In Fall 2010, 412,372 students enrolled in CSU campuses and by Fall 2012, enrollment increased to 436,560 students.
The California budget crisis led to drastic cuts in funding for the 2010-2011 academic year. Despite an increase in student enrollment since then, funding was still limited.
“The challenge will be for us to serve those students,” Uhlenkamp said. “We’re limited by the amount of funding we receive from the state of California. In order for us to serve the additional students, we’re going to need to find additional sources of funding and be more efficient with the funding and services that we have.”
SDSU’s total enrollment was 31,899 for Fall 2013. Enrollment numbers stayed between 30,000 and 32,000 from Fall 2010 to Fall 2013 as millions of dollars of state budget cuts took effect.
However, with the increase of enrollment, more students had the opportunity to graduate with a college degree from the CSU system.
“If the enrollment grows and as we become more efficient, we are graduating more people,” Uhlenkamp said. “With more people going out into the workforce, it’s a benefit for California as those people are becoming productive members of the workforce in the state.”
Photo by Monica Linzmeier, photo editor
