California wants to make more space for in-state students at top UC campuses. Here’s how
California wants to invest $180 million to increase the enrollment of in-state students at the University of California and California State University by more than 15,000, under a budget proposal released last week.
The proposal also includes giving more money to UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC San Diego to replace nonresident students with Californians.
Under the proposal, those campuses would need to cap their nonresident undergraduate enrollment at 18% of their population by Fall 2026. As of Fall 2020, those campuses have 22% to 24% of their population as nonresidents.
The proposal comes after the University of California offered admissions to a record number of California freshmen and transfer students to its university system last fall. That semester University of California admission offers to freshmen increased by 12% compared to 2019.
California will also spend $155 million annually to expand Cal Grant to older community college students, as well as $632 million to provide cost-of-living financial assistance to lower and middle-income residents studying at UC and CSU.
The higher education package separately includes another $433 million to turn Humboldt State University into the state’s third polytechnic university, a move intended to attract more science and engineering students to the North Coast campus.
“There are so many different, fantastic nuggets related to the availability of funding in the 2021-2022 (budget) and that’s where our focus is right now,” said Mike Uhlenkamp, a spokesman for California State University. “If there are subsequent budgets that provide additional resources to increase enrollment, we would be prepared to provide additional opportunities for prospective students.”
Audrey Dow, senior vice president at The Campaign for College Opportunity which advocates for greater access to higher education, praised the proposal.
“What we know today in California is that we have far more qualified and eligible students than we have slots for across our UC campuses,” she said. “So, this downpayment on access for the UC is a really good thing for our California students.”
But a long-term rethinking of the state’s higher education system is needed to meet Gov. Gavin Newsom’s goal for 70% of Californians to have a college credential, Dow said.
“This budget deal included an incredible expansion of the seats, but that has to be sustained and it needs to be expanded.”
The proposal also includes $2 billion to increase student housing and other higher education facilities, as well as a one-time allowance of $150 million to add mental health services for students, according to the plan.
This story was originally published June 28, 2021 at 12:10 PM with the headline "California wants to make more space for in-state students at top UC campuses. Here’s how."
