LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — California State University received a record number of applications for the upcoming 2016 fall term, with more than 830,000 prospective students vying for a spot at the nation’s largest public university system.
The total marked a nearly 5 percent increase over applications received for fall enrollment the previous year, according to university officials. The number of Black and Latino students applying to CSU colleges rose about 25 percent each.
CSU enrolls about 460,000 students across 23 campuses.
In a statement, university officials said the increase in applications reflects a growth in the demand for higher education in California but that capacity issues persist due to state funding limitations.
According to the university, the governor’s proposed budget will fund a 1 percent net student enrollment increase. University leaders contend a 3 percent increase is needed in order for the university to continue to address an anticipated shortage of bachelor’s degrees in California by 2030. That would require $102.3 million more in state funding, CSU officials said.
Cal State Long Beach received more first-time freshman applications than any other campus, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram (http://bit.ly/1PhiAyp ). Nearly 60,500 applied for enrollment.
“It’s my hope that lawmakers and the governor fully fund the CSU Trustees budget request, which would allow us to accommodate and better serve more of these deserving students,” Cal State Long Beach spokeswoman Terri M. Carbaugh said in a statement
Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly Pomono both saw declines in first-time freshmen applications. Northridge applications declined by about 3.2 percent and Pomona by about 3.8 percent.
