US: More eligible students, fewer college slots

California high schools are graduating more students qualified to enter a public university than in past years - especially Latinos - but the state's grim financial picture means not everyone may get to enrol, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.


Between 2003 and 2007, the number of public high school seniors eligible for the University of California or California State University grew by 11%, from 145,100 to 161,200 students, a new study shows. But both university systems recently announced plans to cut their budgets and shrink enrolments in the face of reduced state funding. CSU said it will lower enrolment by 10,000 students, while UC has been less specific.

"Our public higher education systems face a growing challenge of accommodating more students with reduced state funding," said Murray Haberman, executive director of the California Postsecondary Education Commission, which looks every four years at the percentage of high school graduates who meet admission requirements for the two public university systems, the San Francisco Chronicle continues.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing to close the state's projected $11.2 billion budget deficit in part by slashing $132 million from university funding. The message to the universities is that they can no longer accommodate growth by building new campuses and increasing financial aid, the study says.
Full report on the San Francisco Chronicle site