Already suffering from $750 million in budget cuts, and facing an additional $200 million if Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative is rejected in November, California State University officials announced a spring 2013 enrollment freeze at 15 of the 23 CSU campuses, including California State University, Sacramento.
Campuses affected by the enrollment freeze will not be admitting any students in the spring semester (students will be wait-listed for the following fall). At American River College, this will potentially impact hundreds of students. According to the Office of Academic Affairs, CSUS received 989 applications from ARC students for fall 2012, 873 of which were admitted.
To assist students interested in transferring to the university, The Current turned to CSUS’s Admissions and Outreach counselor, Carlos Rubio.
The Current: Will the freeze affect the transfer agreement between American River College and CSUS?
Rubio: Sac State will guarantee admissions to fully eligible students for the fall term, not spring, because we do not know what is going to happen for spring. Los Rios is one of our largest feeder (district). They are going to be our priorities.
How will the freeze affect students who are ready to transfer to CSUS in the spring?
It is not uncommon to see spring term being closed or being limited. We will do what we can to work with students from the local area, especially the Los Rios (Community College District).
What students tend to forget is that it’s not just meeting the admission requirements; they have to make sure they also complete the California State University (general education development) requirements.
In addition to that, I recommend they work on their institutional education requirement, (including) foreign language, second-semester English, race and ethnicity, and the pre-major courses.
What if students are truly finished and have no other courses they can take at a community college?
(If) a student is up against the wall, where he or she truly does not have anything else to complete for (spring 2013), then they would have to come and meet with me and we will see what we could do.
Students would have to check in with me in late July (or) early August if there is a possibility at all that we might be able to work with them. (But) we’re not officially opened to enroll anyone for the spring 2013 at this point.
Are there any alternatives for students who cannot be admitted to CSUS in the spring and do not want to put off their education?
Here’s the one thing I’ve been recommending (for) students to do: Open University (a CSUS program allowing students [access] to regular university classes through the College of Continuing Education without formally admitting to the university) is for anyone out there in the community who wants to take a class or two. The credits are still degree applicable. The only differences are that they would have to pay per unit, and there’s no financial aid available.
What do you recommend students do to ensure a successful transfer to CSUS?
Two things: Sit down with a counselor and see your Sac State reps early. I’m at ARC every single Wednesday (at the Transfer Center). Students (should) meet with a counselor to make sure they plan ahead, so that we can definitely work on the next four or five semesters at ARC, and also apply to the university a year before the transfer.
Do you have any additional advice?
If students are thinking of (going into) an impacted program, such as business or nursing, I encourage them to achieve or target a 4.0 (grade point average).
The higher the G.P.A., the better the chance of getting into any major of choice.
