May 29, 1997

SDSU is first urban CSU campus to implement enrollment management

CONTACT: Rick Moore, (619) 594-5204

President Stephen L. Weber announced today that San Diego State University has received CSU permission to limit the number of undergraduate students admitted to its main campus, beginning with applicants for the Fall, 1998 semester. (The Imperial Valley Campus at Calexico is not affected.)

"We're taking this action to preserve the quality of the academic program at San Diego State and to prevent a return to the crowded conditions of the late 1 980s," Weber said. "We remain committed to maintaining the diversity of our campus, and to admitting every student that we can serve with the resources available," Weber added.

The plan allows SDSU to match the number of students admitted to the available resources while maintaining its commitment to diversity and opportunity. Under the plan:

SDSU will determine the number of students it can accommodate with available resources.

Applications will be taken during the open enrollment months (November for the following Fall semester; August for the following Spring semester).

Approximately~80 percent of the total number which can be admitted will come from the most academically qualified of those students eligible for admission to the California State University.

The remaining 20 percent of the CSU-eligible students which can be admitted will be individually screened, using supplementary criteria developed by The

SDSU Senate, in an effort to maintain the current mix of students and to follow the campus guidelines under which the enrollment management program was created.

Supplementary criteria include diversity, socio-economic or educational factors, space availability in the SDSU major, indications of overcoming educational obstacles, regional proximity to campus, leadership, or exceptional talents and special perspectives that would further enrich the educational experience of the campus community.

Details of exactly how the supplementary criteria will be defined and applied will be worked out over the summer months by The Senate and the Office of Admissions and Records (A&R).

Meeting CSU minimum admissions requirements may no longer be enough to gain admission to SDSU. "Our best advice for students who intend to apply is to be academically successful," said Director of A&R Nancy Sprotte. "Students can also help themselves by reading application materials carefully and by returning fully completed application materials on time," she added.

Students who are not admitted will be helped to identify alternative CSU campuses or advised to attend a local community college.

It is not possible to accurately estimate the number of students who might be affected by these new admissions policies. SDSU is currently overenrolled by approximately 1,300 students who might not have been admitted under the new system.

SDSU's plan was developed in consultation with area secondary schools and community colleges. "Community colleges will continue to work closely with San Diego State University, CSU San Marcos, as well as all California State University, University of California and private university campuses to ensure that all students in our region who seek a university degree have opportunities to achieve their goal, said San Diego Community College District Chancellor Augustine Gallego. "Whether students begin higher education at a community college or a university, I expect that our state and our community will continue to find ways to honor the California Higher Education Master Plan commitment to provide access to higher education," he added.

CSU San Marcos Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard Karas greeted news of SDSU's plans with advice for students who may look to that campus. "We are pleased to assist SDSU in our common efforts to meet the growing demand for quality public higher education in San Diego County," Karas said. "CSU San Marcos is also experiencing an increased demand for limited space, however, and students wishing to enroll Fall, 1 998 are well-advised to apply early."

SDSU becomes the second CSU campus to implement enrollment management. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo took the action in the early 1980s. SDSU is the first large, urban campus to limit admissions.

A number of departments at SDSU already limit admissions because of high demand. Those departments will continue that practice.

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