The University of California admissions process is a highly competitive trial of academic prowess. With standardized gauges of worth such as extracurricular activities, SAT scores and GPA, as well as the personal statement to provide more background to one’s success, those who end up being admitted to the UC system are truly the best of the best, right?
According to the LA Times, this is disputable. UC campuses have been steadily accepting more out-of-state applicants within the last few years. In 2009, 11% of out-of-state applicants were admitted into the UC system, and in 2010 that percentage increased to 14%. Now, out of the 72,432 applicants that were admitted this year, the number of out-of-state applicants has risen to 18% of the total applicants.
According to the statistics above, this means that approximately 13,000 out-of-state applicants got their spot in the UC campuses. However, that also means that 13,000 Californian students, those who may be as qualified for the same spot, are being denied a certified UC education.
The reason for this phenomenon isn’t very surprising: budget cuts.
With $500 million being cut from state general funds towards the UC system, it’s obvious that there would be little else to turn to than one of the only viable sources of revenue they have, which is the tuition that students pay for their education.
Therefore, since applicants that don’t live in California have to pay $23,000 more a year than California residents, it’s seen as essential for the UC system to increase the amount of students applying out-of-state in order to maintain a balance.
This is not a good thing for those who are applying to a UC in-state.
In the application process, a college has to take numerous factors into account before choosing the right applicants. Does the student participate in a lot of extracurricular activities? Do they have a good academic record? What about ethnicity; how might a university strike a balance between excellence and diversity? How about personal background; are their personal statements compelling enough to win them admission?
While it is certainly not the most important aspect of being accepted, incorporating economic value in the final decision will certainly change the way colleges think about the applications they receive. The UC system strives to find the best students of the state who deserve to have the education they provide, but with the dwindling amount of money they are left with due to recent cuts the application process has little choice but to add economic value to the competitive field as well.
That, however, isn’t measurable in the same way academics or extracurricular activities are. While it is in one’s capability to choose whether or not to push and excel in school and activities that are not forced on oneself, there is much less control in exactly how much money can be spent on a certain thing, in this case college tuition, due to circumstances beyond one’s control.
This poses a problem when choosing applicants: what if an applicant is accepted solely because they were willing to pay more for their education?
That’s not to say that out-of-state applicants are inferior to their in-state competition. What I do mean, however, is that when two similar applications are presented to the applications office, and one of the only outstanding differences between the two is whether or not they are a resident of California, it’s the out-of-state applicant that has more priority.
This is frustrating because these applicants are accepted merely because they can and will pay more money for the same education that the in-state applicant would also be given for a lower price.
On the other hand, with little else to accrue the crucial funds needed to uphold the level of education that the UC system is well-known for, what else can they really do? Lowering the level of education in order to keep the old ratios of in-state vs. out-of-state applicants isn’t exactly a good idea either.
How long must a resident of California wait until they are completely confident that they will be accepted to the UC they desire? While it is still too far to say that the UC system has truly forsaken us in favor or out-of-state applicants (since, despite the 18% that are out-of-state, there’s still an 82% rate of in-state admissions this year), there is likely going to be yet another increase in out-of-state admissions next year, which means less of us being admitted into our desired colleges.
Then again, it’s not as if the UC system is the only method of attaining a good education, so I would advise future undergraduate and transfer applicants to consider other options outside of the UC system just in case budget cuts cut you out of the system.
