LONG BEACH - Less than a week after the closing of the application deadline to attend any of the 23 California State University (CSU) campuses in fall 2011, the final numbers are in, and Cal State Long Beach leads the way as the system posted record numbers of applications, including those from first-time freshman.CSULB received more applications from potential undergraduate students for the fall 2011 semester than any of the other 22 CSU campuses in the system, according to CSULB President F. King Alexander. He reported a preliminary count of more than 70,500 freshman and transfer student applications. Overall, the CSU Chancellor's Office received more than 611,000 undergraduate applications system-wide, slightly above last year's record high. The priority application period for undergraduate students interested in attending any CSU campus next fall ended Nov. 30, and the number of electronic applications submitted for enrollment at CSULB was 69,261. With the inclusion of international students and actual paper applications, the Long Beach campus received 70,536 applications in all, breaking the 70,000 mark for the second straight year. "Having the highest number of undergraduate applications of any CSU campus speaks well of the quality of education and student life at Cal State Long Beach," Alexander said. "At the same time, another record number of applications for the CSU system clearly demonstrates the strong demand for a CSU education. "While these numbers point to the recognition of our campus' reputation, we are tempering our enthusiasm a little bit," the president added. "With another projected $20-plus billion shortfall in next year's state budget, we don't know what that means for the 2011-12 CSU budget. If our campus budget is reduced, then obviously we will be limited in the number of these students we can admit in the fall." CSULB led the CSU system in first-time freshman applications with 49,764 received. That number is more than 2,000 higher than last year's 47,683 first-time freshman applicant total. The campus also received the largest number of transfer student applications with 20,039. Of the more than 611,000 undergraduate applications received in the two-month fall 2011 priority application period (Oct. 1 through Nov. 30), the number of prospective first-time freshman applications received was 426,992, a sizeable increase of 14,819 from the previous year.

********** Published: December 9, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 34