Prospective first-time freshmen who were counting on late enrollment deadlines to get into the fall term at California State University campuses like Dominguez and Los Angeles will have to wait until the next session to apply, because the 23-school system closed enrollment March 1 in response to the state budget crises.
The early deadline means that about 10,000 students will not be admitted to the fall 2008-2009 term.
In addition to cutting off enrollment for first-time freshmen, the CSU board of trustees along with its sister Board of Regents at the University of California, have approved fee hikes for all students effective for the start of the 2008 school year.
The increase for CSU undergrads is $276; $324 for teacher credential students; and $342 for graduate students, and is part of a continuing trend–fees have jumped every year since 2002. Part of the increased revenue this year will provide 75 percent of all financially needy students with additional assistance to cover the hike.
Meanwhile, students in the University of California will experience their sixth increase of fees in seven years. These jumps go into effect in the summer of 2008, and are $490 per year for resident undergraduates and $546 annually for resident grad students. Professional students will pay $486 more in addition to fee increases that were already approved by the regents in September 2007 and slated to go into effect in 2008.
The jump at the University of California comes at the same time when the system received the largest number of applications in its history, according to spokesperson, who said more than 121,000 people applied; up from 110,994 for the s 2007 school year (a nine percent increase).
Like the CSU system, the U.C. schools will use a portion of the fee increase to give additional financial aid back to eligible students. Those are people whose family income is roughly under $60,000 per year. The system will also provide grants covering about 50 percent of the fee increase to other needy on-time financial aid applicants whose family incomes are below $100,000 annually.
Unlike the CSU, U.C. campuses did not cut off enrollment early. In fact several of its campuses–Merced and Riverside are still accepting applications from transfer students.
Riverside is planning a one-stop admission day June 7 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the campus in Hinderaker Hall. On this day, students can apply for admission and those eligible will receive acceptance on the spot. Just bring a completed application to a U.C.R. admission counselor (no personal statement is needed).
After receiving your admission notification, submit your Statement of Intent to Register, pay the $100 SIR deposit and the $60 application fees (two separate checks or money orders required; no credit or debit cards accepted). Then you can meet with a financial aid advisor to get information on helping to pay for college. Finally, assistance will be on hand to help you understand your housing options.
Transfer students also still have the opportunity to submit an application to U.C. Merced. Just download a transfer application from the school’s web site, provide a copy of your official transcripts and write a letter of appeal explaining why you are late applying, and officials will look at each applicant on a case-by-case basis.
Before you apply, make sure to check with the admission offices at each university to insure you have met the eligibility requirements.
