Picture this: Every hopeful student applying to California State University for the spring of 2012 is wait-listed. More than 20,000 qualified students would see their plans for a college education deferred indefinitely.

Those who can enroll have to scramble to pay a 32% tuition increase, even as course offerings vanish and student services dwindle.

And still, CSU is in a $100 million hole.

That's the contingency plan Chancellor Charles Reed laid out Tuesday at a CSU Board of Trustees meeting in preparation for the so-called "all-cuts" state budget.

CSU already was struggling to slash $500 million from its annual budget, and that figure will double to $1 billion if the state doesn't pass tax extensions or find other sources of revenue.

Fresno State already had trimmed $20 million in costs for the 2011-12 school year but might have to carve out another $5.5 million, university officials announced Tuesday.

"We would have to do a great deal of soul searching ... if we were faced with that reality," said Paul Oliaro, vice president for student affairs.

More budget cuts will likely lead to layoffs and closing some programs and academic departments or consolidating them with other campuses, Fresno State officials said.

Student advising would be offered only online, eliminating the face-to-face guidance some consider critical to keeping students on track to graduate.

"That kind of cut will really have a devastating effect," Oliaro said.

An administrative task force is exploring options for reductions at Fresno State and will make recommendations to President John Welty in the coming weeks.

Under the chancellor's plan, all CSU campuses would freeze admissions and raise tuition by as much as 32% for the spring 2012 semester. CSU last froze admissions in spring 2010.

Fresno State's $20 million budget trims included freezing or eliminating 80 vacant positions, eliminating 600 to 800 classes and deferring maintenance once again on the crumbling campus infrastructure. Some roofs are damaged and cooling systems are on the brink of collapse.

At least 600 eligible applicants who would have been admitted for the fall were instead wait-listed. The anticipated enrollment for the fall is 21,655, and will drop to 20,000 for spring 2012.

But spring enrollment would drop even further if Fresno State is forced to make additional reductions under an "all-cuts" state budget, campus officials said.

Student body president-elect Selena Farnesi said students from middle-income families will have the hardest time affording an education.

These students often don't qualify for need-based financial aid and struggle to pay rising tuition and fees. Farnesi is pushing for more merit-based scholarships and grants.

About 60% of students at Fresno State receive financial aid.

Although they are preparing now for the worst-case scenario in budget cuts, CSU officials also are awaiting the release next week of the governor's revised budget.

Officials hope that an extra $2.5 billion in revenues statewide could help close the higher education gap.