Ryan ChartrandIt may be easier for continuing students to add classes to their summer schedules because new undergraduate students will not be enrolling in summer 2008 as a result of this year’s state budget crisis.
In addition, Cal Poly will not permit the enrollment of new undergraduate students during the off quarters of winter, spring and summer in the 2008-09 school year, said James Maraviglia, assistant vice president of admissions, recruitment and financial aid.
“The decision was based on a master plan, which is a formula-driven process (that found) the campus is exceeding its capacity in the current facilities,” Maraviglia said. He added that the decision does not affect current students negatively.
“It will probably make more (summer) classes available to current students, because there will be over 200 fewer (students competing for seats),” Maraviglia said.
Cal Poly also decided to cap enrollment at a lower target headcount for fall 2008 than fall 2007. This decision came at a time when the number of applicants to Cal Poly increased, according to a recent press release.
“Unlike many institutions, Cal Poly applicants compete with other students in their individual fields – resulting in some majors being more competitive than others,” Maraviglia said.
The College of Engineering (CENG) is one of the more competitive colleges on campus. All colleges on campus experienced an increase in applicants this year, but the number of CENG applicants increased by 14.1 percent this year, for a total of 7,791.
“We had 400 engineering applicants – each with a perfect 4.0 GPA – turned away for admission this fall,” Maraviglia said.
Between all other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related majors at Cal Poly, the university will turn away more than 13,500 eligible STEM students this year.
The target headcount was exceeded in fall 2007 by more than 300 students, said Brent Goodman, the director of institutional planning and analysis.
“The capacity is calculated in a funky way,” he said. “The exceeded target for that year was something we put together as part of an equation. The capacity expanded due to a higher than expected yield rate.”
The target headcount of first-year freshmen for fall 2007 was 3,809 but Cal Poly accepted 4,369, Goodman said. The target for fall 2008 is 3,522 first year freshmen.
Accepting additional students will not increase the amount of funding the university receives, because tuition only covers fees and about 20 to 25 percent of the total cost of attendance, depending on students’ majors, Maraviglia said. State funding covers between 75 to 80 percent of the cost.
However, the budget cuts proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for the 2008-09 fiscal year would fund $386.1 million less than requested by CSU, according to Larry Kelley, vice president for administration and finance. Of that number, $312 million would be an outright budget cut, and an additional $73.2 million shortfall would occur without funds to offset the need for a student fee increase.
“The schedule for the budget doesn’t coincide with higher education’s timetable,” said Cal Poly President Warren Baker at an ASI Board of Directors meeting earlier this month. “For example, Cal Poly accepts students in February but doesn’t know what our budget will be, sometimes until September. That can create problems.”
A way to compensate for the lowered state funding is to lower the number of new students admitted next year. This lowered headcount will affect housing in the coming months, but in a positive way, Maraviglia said.
“There will be more beds on campus next year (as compared to this year),” he said. “It should provide more housing opportunities on campus for new and returning students in the fall.”