Enrollment Rising at CSU Fullerton

Against the backdrop of higher admissions standards for out-of-area students and a 5 percent state university fee hike, Cal State Fullerton attracted a record number of applications for admission to the 2010-11 academic year and a fall enrollment of 35,590 students.

That figure is up 2,979 students from the spring when severe budget cuts prompted the CSU to postpone admissions of new students to all 23 CSU campuses. Thanks to one-time federal stimulus funding, new students will be admitted for the spring of 2011 at Cal State Fullerton and elsewhere in the CSU.

On the Fullerton campus for the spring, plans call for admitting from 2,525 upper-division transfer students, plus 500 graduate and postbaccalaureate students, as well as those seeking teaching credentials.

As a result, the applications window for spring 2011 has reopened for upper-division transfer and graduate students. Applications are being accepted online at www.csumentor, where prospective students can view lists of open and closed majors. 

The initial period for accepting applications for those seeking admission for next fall opened Oct. 1. Prospective students are being encouraged to apply as soon as possible, due to growing demand and limited state resources. High school seniors and community college transfer students are especially encouraged to apply no later than Nov. 30, 2010. 

Meanwhile, enrollment at Cal State Fullerton dropped below last fall’s census count of 36,262, despite a record number of applications received — more than 62,000. The enrollment drop is the direct result of mandated cuts, due to shrinking state resources.

“Unfortunately, the state’s fiscal difficulties forced us to deny admission to more than 11,000 students who were fully CSU-qualified for admission,” said Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon. At the same time, he noted, Cal State Fullerton continues to lead the state in the number of community college students who transfer to a California public university. That’s a distinction CSUF has held for 12 consecutive years.

“It is more important than ever before for students to meet all the application deadlines and also to prepare themselves in term of the grades they are making in their courses,” said Steven Murray, acting vice president for academic affairs. “It’s more important than it’s ever been.”

This fall, 4,165 undergraduate transfer students enrolled at Cal State Fullerton, along with 3,912 first-time freshmen. More than 2,600 are attending classes at the CSUF Irvine Campus, which primarily serves students who live and/or work in south Orange County.

In addition, the ethnic makeup of the student population continues to evolve. Census figures show that Hispanics now constitute 30 percent of the enrollment — up from 29 percent last fall, approaching whites, now at 31 percent. Asian/Pacific Islanders remain at 21 percent; blacks are 3 percent; two or more races (non-Hispanic) are 2 percent. American Indians dipped slightly to .37 percent. The number of those who decline to state an ethnicity has slipped to 7 percent — down a percentage point from last fall, while international students remain at 5 percent of the student population. (Total is less than 100, due to rounding.)

Media 
Contacts:

Paula Selleck, Public Affairs, 657-278-4856, pselleck@fullerton.edu
Christopher Bugbee, Public Affairs, 657-278-8487 or cbugbee@fullerton.edu