Schools

South Bay Residents No Longer Guaranteed Spots at SJSU

The local university cites budget cuts as reason for decision.

It's that time of the year and college admissions are on many Campbell high school students' and parents' minds and this morning's announcement may be a bit unsettling, especially for those looking to stay local.

Officials at San Jose State University today unveiled a new policy in which the school will no longer guarantee admission to local students who meet California State University requirements.

At a morning news conference on campus, University President Mohammad Qayoumi said steep state budget cuts are the reason for the school's new approach, in which local applicants not admitted to their preferred majors will be eligible for -- but no longer guaranteed -- admission as undeclared students.

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University officials explained that all students applying to SJSU are required to note their first- and second-choice majors. Those who aren't accepted to those majors are bumped to the "undeclared" category.

The school will still have a "local area preference" policy in place, in which local applicants being considered as undeclared majors will have a lower admissions threshold than applicants from other areas, university officials said. The university will also be focusing on moving students who are already enrolled toward graduation more efficiently to make room for incoming students.

Find out what's happening in Campbellwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The school's new admissions guidelines, which were crafted after a number of public hearings, will be submitted to California State University Chancellor Charles Reed for approval. School officials said the new policy will "provide SJSU with tools to reduce enrollment," but noted that the change will not necessarily be permanent.

Had the policy been in effect for the fall of 2012, 1,400 local students who were accepted to the university would not have been admitted, said William Nance, the university's vice president of student affairs.

University spokeswoman Pat Lopes Harris said the school receives increasing numbers of applicants each year, and said the new policy is like "putting a spigot on a faucet."

San Jose State University enrolls about 30,000 students.

--Bay City News Service


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