Southwestern College students will find it more difficult to attend a local university as favored transfer targets SDSU and UCSD continue to lower enrollments and turn away eligible community college transfers.
"The state has stopped building freeways to higher education," UC President Mark Yudof said. "They are now building toll roads."
A third of SWC transfer students choose SDSU, but with limited seats, high price tags, and tightened transfer requirements, counselors say it is becoming a more difficult option.
"Education is that little ticket that's going to get you in the door," said Ed Cosio, SWC counselor. "Unfortunately, that door is closing for a lot of our students."
SDSU is not accepting any new students in spring, according to a statement from the college, and plans to cut 10.8 percent of its enrollment for fall. This will leave about 4,600 more applicants without acceptance letters. Those who do get accepted will be paying $574 more than students admitted in fall 2008.
A long-standing pact that assures SWC students entrance to SDSU, the Transfer Agreement Guarantee, is also being modified. While the guarantee will be honored, its requirements are now more stringent. The old agreement allowed students to finish certain classes after transfer. Now students will be required to complete 100 percent of pre-transfer course work at SWC.
This does not bode well for SWC students said Jaime Salazar, interim Transfer Center director.
"If we don't have the classes for that major," said Salazar, "then you're not going to San Diego State."
In another setback for transfer students, SDSU has designated all of its academic majors "impacted," including students who are undecided. Impacted majors are very crowded and require extra steps to enter. Being a local may not help.
"For many years, we've been forced to turn away CSU eligible applicants from outside our service area," said SDSU President Stephen Weber, in a video message. "Now local-area students are affected as well."
SDSU is committed to providing accessible education to the community colleges and high schools in its vicinity, according to a university statement. Local students will receive extra consideration when they submit an application, the statement read, but Salazar said he wonders if this is enough. There are seven community colleges within SDSU's service area contributing to a small transfer pool, so students are bound to be turned away, said Salazar. This will increase the difficulty of transferring to a CSU in other parts of California as well. Certain colleges may not be as impacted as SDSU, but service areas are receiving priority, he said.
"Students are guaranteed to be turned away [from SDSU] with only 2,500 spots available to transfer students in the fall," Salazar said. "We are encouraging students to not put all their eggs in one basket."
CSUs and UCs are implementing tuition increases and enrollment cuts to compensate for the dismal California budget.
CSUs will be decreasing enrollment by 40,000 over the next year. UCs already decreased enrollment statewide by 2,300 this fall and are considering an additional 2,300 decrease for 2010-11. State University enrollment fees were increased in July. In November UCs will be voting to increase tuition fees not once, but twice.
Despite dismal news sweeping the state, some students remain optimistic about continuing on to higher education.
"It's good in a way because it motivates you to do better," said SWC student Fahiya Ahmed.
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