Dive Brief:
- Dwindling appropriations and rising tuition costs have forced the University of California System and similar systems to emphasize recruitment and enrollment of out-of-state students.
- Non-resident enrollment in UC System schools exceeds 15%, but approaches 30% at UC Berkeley, a trend that some say boxes out students who desire to remain in-state for college.
- Merit scholarship and incentive programs which target out-of-state students often leave minority and low-income students outside of consideration for admission.
Dive Insight:
Nationwide, public colleges and universities are looking to increase out-of-state enrollment to help stabilize losses in state appropriations and decreasing enrollment among in-state students. In Mississippi and Louisiana, several institutions have received authorization to offer in-state tuition rates to eligible students beyond state borders.
For campus leaders, the challenge is not in creating a more appealing pitch for students to leave home for college, but in creating partnerships to make academic offerings essential to the state’s economic future. California, one of the nation’s fastest growing state economies, is an exception to the rule because of its fortune and the expanse of its college systems. But in largely rural southern states, the ability to make programs more industrially-compatible is an essential part of attracting students from within and outside of the state, and in building livable communities around the campus.