LONG BEACH - Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) has received a record number of applications from potential undergraduate students for the fall 2010 semester, according to CSULB President F. King Alexander, who reported a preliminary count of more than 69,000 freshman and transfer student applications received.While the CSU Chancellor's Office reported receiving more than 609,000 undergraduate applications system-wide, shattering all previous records, Cal State Long Beach received more applications from potential first-time freshman and transfer students than any of the other 22 campuses in the system. The application period for undergraduate students interested in attending any CSU campus next fall ended on Monday (Nov. 30), and the number of electronic applications submitted for enrollment at CSULB was 69,656, an increase of more than 9,000 applications over the previous year's 60,519. With the inclusion of international student applications, CSULB received more than 71,000 applications in all, breaking the 70,000 mark for the first time in its history. "With the entire California State University system receiving more applications for next year than ever before, it speaks well of the quality of education and student life that Cal State Long Beach leads every other system campus in terms of students applying for freshman status as well as those applying as transfer students," said CSULB President F. King Alexander. "While these numbers point to excellence in quality and recognition of our campus' reputation," he added, "what's unfortunate for most of these applicants is that due to continuing reductions to CSULB's budget, only 5,500 will actually enroll as students in the fall." On Monday, the last day to submit applications, the CSU system received more than 73,000 applications alone (compared to 33,000 on the last day of the filing period a year ago). Of those last submitted applications, more than 8,000 were for enrollment at CSULB. CSULB led the CSU system in first-time freshman applications with 47,683 received. That number is nearly 2,000 more than last year's 45,734 first-time freshman total. The campus also received the largest number of transfer student applications with 21,973 received, a whopping 48.6 percent increase over last year's 14,785. In fact, over the last two years, transfer student applications have risen a staggering 84.9 percent (11,883 for fall 2008 to 21,973 for fall 2010), primarily due to the campus closing admissions to transfer students during its spring semester the last two years. The high demand for enrollment at CSULB and other sister campuses comes at a time when the CSU system is expected to reduce its enrollment by some 40,000 students over two years as a result of the $564 million budget cut from the state of California. CSULB cut its enrollment this year by about 2,300 students and is targeting a reduction of 3,044 FTE (full-time equivalent) students for the 2010-11 academic year. "Cal State Long Beach consistently ranks among the top universities in the nation in the number of applications it receives from undergraduates students, especially those students who are going to be first-time freshmen," Alexander pointed out. "In an environment where outcomes are often difficult to measure, it is reassuring to know that our university continues to be among the most desirable institutions in the country for high school seniors."

********** Published: December 18, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 35