Cal State University applications reach record 831,073

Cal State Long Beach received nearly 90,000 applications for fall 2006 admissions.

FERMIN LEAL/EDSOURCE TODAY

California State University received a record 831,073 applications for fall 2016 admission, an increase of more than 40,000 compared to the previous year, according to figures released Friday.

It’s the sixth straight year the nation’s largest public university system has received a record number of applications as it struggles to accommodate the increase in qualified candidates. The 23-campus system received 575,363 applications for freshman admission by the Nov. 30 priority application deadline, and an additional 255,710 applications from transfer students. These figures include students who applied to more than one campus. Students typically send applications to two or more universities.

CSU Chancellor Timothy White said the demand for CSU shows the system remains a state leader in producing job-ready graduates.

“The CSU does much of the heavy lifting required to build an educated workforce in California and it’s something that we’re incredibly honored to be a part of,” he said in a statement.

Last year, the 470,000-student CSU admitted about three-quarters of all applicants. Still, it denied admission to more than 51,000 qualified freshmen and transfer applicants. A decade earlier, 21,000 students were denied admission.

For years, state budget cuts have hampered CSU’s ability to keep up with K-12 schools’ stronger focus on preparing a wider range of students for college and careers, and the overall student population growth in California.

Today, Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State, Cal State Long Beach, San Diego State, San Jose State and San Luis Obispo are “impacted,” meaning they’re entirely at capacity in all majors they offer. An additional eight universities have five or more majors with more applicants than they can accommodate.

Nineteen campuses received a record number of freshman applications for fall 2016, while 20 received a record number of transfer applications.

Cal State Long Beach received the most overall applications, with 89,499.

CSU hopes to increase enrollment by 12,600 students next fall. CSU trustees last month asked lawmakers for an additional $102 million in state funding they said is needed to reach that target.