UC aims to increase enrollment of California residents

Since University of California resident enrollment fell during the 2008 recession, the University is looking to increase the number of California students it enrolls in the next couple of years, said UC President Janet Napolitano in a statement following the release of the governor’s May budget revision.

A number of initiatives from the governor, legislature and UC try to address the need for additional funds for student enrollment growth.

One UC budget proposal asks for an additional $100 million from the state legislature over the next four years to enroll an additional 6,830 undergraduates and 2,700 graduate students across the system.

UC Merced also plans to enroll 10,000 students, up from about 6,000 this year, by 2020 as part of the 2020 Project, said Patti Waid, a UC Merced spokesperson.

She added that the 2020 Project, which only applies to UC Merced and which the UC Board of Regents has not yet approved, would use private financing to cover the costs of the buildings.

“(UC Merced) will build new dorms and research labs before accepting new students,” Waid said. “This year, we saw a 14 percent increase in number of applicants over last year’s, the largest increase in applicants in the UC, so it’s obvious that demand (for UC Merced) is strong.”

The state Senate is currently debating Senate Bill 15, which would increase financial aid opportunities for undergraduate California residents and provide student services to help undergraduate students graduate on time.

Politicians, including Gov. Jerry Brown and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, have focused on increasing California resident enrollment, especially after the UC expanded out-of-state and international enrollment during the recession. In 2008, nonresident students made up about 5 percent of total UC undergraduate students before the recession. This academic year, they make up almost 14 percent. The figure varies depending on the campus, ranging from less than half a percent at UC Merced to almost 25 percent at UC Berkeley, according to data from the UC Information Center.

Nathan Brostrom, chief financial officer for the UC, said the University’s commitment to growth stemmed from its obligation to enrollment goals under the California Master Plan for Higher Education.

Under the Master Plan, the academic top 12.5 percent of California residents are guaranteed a spot at the UC.

“The history of the UC shows it has consistently added students in order to meet the Master Plan and make sure that there is access at UC campuses for students that are qualified,” Brostrom said.

Brostrom added while the number of high school students has leveled off, there has been an increase in the number of graduating seniors eligible for UC admission.

He added funds for student enrollment growth would not be used to hire additional administrators. Instead, the funding would be used to hire new faculty, increase the number of graduate students who can work as teaching assistants and fund new initiatives that expand course offerings.

Brostrom said while every campus would see some growth, the UC is still determining how to distribute up to 10,000 new students across the 10 campuses. He added limiting factors specific to each campus and the local community will determine the number of additional students a campus can take in.

Jacob Jackson, a researcher with the Public Policy Institute of California, said another aspect of UC student growth is its commitment to ensure transfer students make up 33 percent of new students under the May budget revision. This year, transfer students made up about 30 percent of new students.

The governor’s revised budget includes provisions to hold in-state tuition steady and streamline transfer admission requirements to lower the cost of education for students.

Michele Siqueiros, president of the Campaign for College Opportunity, said she considers affordability of the UC one of the biggest barriers in pursuing higher education. The Campaign for College Opportunity is a nonprofit in California that advocates for state funding of higher education and increased enrollment of California students.

Siqueiros said even with the governor’s May budget revision and bills like SB 15, she thinks the state should allocate more funds specifically for enrollment growth. She added she thinks the state will be taking initial steps to increase accessibility if the state legislature approves the UC’s proposal along with the governor’s budget.

The state legislature is currently debating the governor’s budget, and will approve the final budget by June 15.