Universities will take different approaches to admissions next year in response to the economic crisis. The California State University system will cap its enrollment, while this university plans on increasing its own.
The University will try to increase its out-of-state enrollment to 40 percent next year, Director of Admissions Brian Henley said. This is an increase from 35.5 percent in fall 2008.
In California, the enrollment cap will leave 10,000 students displaced, Inside Higher Ed News reported in a Feb. 12 article. Those students will have to find somewhere to go, Henley said, and some of them will likely choose University of Oregon.
The cap is the first for the CSU system in nearly 50 years, during which time the system has accepted any qualified high school graduate or community college transfer student. The system encompasses 23 campuses across the state.
Already California is by far the largest producer of out-of-state students for the University. In fall 2008, 2,837 students came from California, compared to 924 from Washington, the next-highest producer of non-resident students.
Junior Alexa Godfrey is from the San Francisco Bay Area. She came to the University because her mom grew up in Oregon and insisted Godfrey visit campuses in the area. Godfrey didn’t want to, she said, but ended up liking the climate and the programs the University offered. She said the higher tuition she pays is worth it to experience the rite of passage of leaving her home and her parents.
Tuition is one of the stumbling blocks to recruiting out-of-state students, Henley said. A student who is rejected by the CSU system will not necessarily go to another state, because tuition is much higher, he said.
Godfrey said the University did not recruit her to come to Eugene, and she is the only student from her high school who came. However, Henley said the Bay Area is on the University’s list of target recruitment regions.
Other regions include Southern California, the Seattle area, Denver, Honolulu, Anchorage and others. The University sends informational packets and e-mails to potential students there and hosts recruitment events, Henley said.
However, it may be more than planned recruitment and economics that brings students to Eugene.
Junior Celie Erickson came from Montana, a state that sent only 80 students to the University last year. A dance student, she had applied to University of Montana and University of Washington but said, “I decided I’d fit in here better.” The outdoor-based environment of Eugene and the excellent dance program at the University were her incentive to come.
The out-of-state tuition has not gone unnoticed by Erickson, however. “It’s a pretty hefty price,” she said. “It’s worth it enough for me to keep coming here.”
Although out-of-state students tend to come to the University for personal reasons, Henley said the CSU system’s enrollment cap will likely push students toward the University. However, he said admissions officers must maintain their priorities when accepting students.
“We still have a responsibility to serve the state of Oregon,” he said.
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