Dive Brief:
- California State University has cut its planned enrollment growth for 2014-15 to 10,000 students due to a lower-than-expected state funding increase.
- Cal State had lobbied for a $237.6 million increase, enough to pay for 20,000 additional students, 500 more faculty, essential building repairs, and other services, the Los Angeles Times reported.
- Instead, the 23-campus university system will get a $142.2 million increase — the same as the University of California system.
Dive Insight:
The university system is estimating that it will now have to turn away 10,000 qualified prospective students. For 2014-2015, Cal State received about 761,000 applications, up 2%, or 14,000 more than the previous year. The university system is facing increased demand from community college transfer degree students who are now guaranteed admission to Cal State by law. Under the revised spending plan, about $92 million is set aside for a 3% salary increase for the system’s 45,000 faculty and staff members — though compensation has to be determined through union contract talks.