March 3, 1999

Media contact: Rick Moore, (619) 594-5204.

 

SDSU announces results of enrollment management for fall 1999; Incoming students have higher grades and test scores

San Diego State University has offered provisional admission to nearly 15,000 of its almost 29,000 applicants for the fall 1999 semester. The action reflects an increasingly competitive admissions process at the largest of the California State University campuses.

"We are managing our enrollment to protect the quality of the education that students receive at SDSU," said President Stephen L. Weber. "Only by controlling admissions can we avoid overcrowding."

SDSU admitted 14,920 students. Based on past indicators, 42.6 percent of those are expected to attend, yielding 6,356 new students.

Under new admission standards, the University was unable to admit 11,902 students, of whom 5,219 are eligible for admission to the California State University. For those students not admitted, SDSU will provide counseling on where else they might pursue their studies, academic advising to help them consider their alternatives, and redirection of applications to CSU campuses still accepting applications.

Until this year, SDSU would have accepted the CSU eligible students. This year, however, under authority granted by the CSU, San Diego State is able to control its enrollment by raising its admissions standards to bring enrollment in line with available funding.

(Enrollment management does not affect either undergraduate or graduate admissions at SDSU's Imperial Valley Campus in Calexico, nor does it affect graduate admissions at SDSU's main campus.)

The higher admission standards were made necessary by the increasing popularity of the SDSU campus. First-time freshman applications for the fall 1999 semester increased 28 percent from the previous year. Undergraduate applications increased by 20 percent. CSU admission is based on an "eligibility index" computed from high school grades and test scores. The CSU minimum index for eligibility is 2,900.

The eligibility index of first-time freshmen students notified of provisional admission to SDSU for fall 1999 averaged 3,844, with a minimum of 3,400. The average high school grade point average was 3.48.

For upper division transfer students (juniors and seniors), the average grade point average in transferable college work was 3.07 -- with a minimum of 2.5. This year, special consideration was offered to local community college students, further reducing their minimum requirement.

"We are pleased that the quality of our academic program is recognized by increasing numbers of prospective students who want to become a part of San Diego State," said Weber. "We are attracting students who are better prepared to make the most of their college experience." Weber noted that efforts to maintain campus diversity had paid off. Despite higher admissions standards, there has been only a minor change in campus diversity. "We expect a negligible change in our overall diversity as a result of limiting enrollment for fall 1999, attributed to a slightly less diverse applicant pool," said Weber. "Our projections are based on currently available admissions data and what we anticipate. Actual diversity figures will be available after the fourth week of the fall semester."

"To ensure we achieve the highest enrollment of underrepresented students, we are organizing an aggressive recruitment plan to contact accepted students and encourage them to enroll at San Diego State," Weber continued. "Also we are committed to increasing the retention and graduation rates of all members of our student body and are confident we will achieve this objective," he concluded.

SDSU's efforts to manage its enrollment began after an extensive discussion both on and off campus of how to implement such a program. That discussion began in 1996. In the months since, there have been numerous and repeated messages to local high schools and community colleges advising them that admission to SDSU would become more competitive. The resulting plan has received support from business leaders and from colleagues in education administration.

Alan D. Bersin, superintendent of public education, San Diego City Schools, said "The higher admissions standards being implemented at San Diego State are consistent with the rigorous grade-level standards we have established for students at San Diego City Schools. Our standards in language arts, math, science, and other subjects over time will equip our students to meet the higher admission standards at SDSU and other colleges and universities. Expecting more academic achievement from our students and providing them with guidance and support to meet these higher expectations is where we must go as an educational community. SDSU's new policy is an important step in this direction."

Also in support was Mary Catherine Swanson, founder and executive director of AVID, a program that helps underserved high school students overcome educational obstacles and gain college admission. "I'm pleased to see San Diego State increasing its admission standards," said Swanson. "It's important for colleges to maintain very high standards for entry. They are an impetus for students to take more rigorous curricula in high school. If colleges lower their standards, it's much more difficult for high schools to convince students that rigorous academic preparation is important."

There has also been support from the business community. "San Diego State University plays a key role in providing a workforce for the region's growing knowledge-based economy as well as providing the teachers for our K-12 system." said Julie Meier Wright, president & CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. "With increasing demand for a state university education, SDSU must select the most qualified candidates to ensure that our workforce meets the demanding needs of our region," Wright added.

Marco Polo Cortes, president of the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, agreed. "As the Hispanic enrollment at SDSU is increasing, higher standards will ensure that our community's future workforce is receiving a quality education," he said.

SDSU received authorization to implement enrollment management in spring 1997, but the program was not implemented until the spring 1999 admissions cycle. During the 1997-98 academic year, SDSU enrolled 1,150 more students than it had received funding to support. The result was no state compensation for the nearly $6.2 million cost of providing classes and services for those students. In effect, that forced SDSU to divert the equivalent of $275 in classes and services from each of the 22,300 other full-time equivalent students who attended the campus during that academic year.

Individuals or applicants with questions should contact SDSU Admissions and Records at (619) 594-7800.

Further information is available at SDSU's enrollment management website: www.sdsu.edu/enrollmentmanagement