Freshman class largest in CSULB history

A steady increase in enrollment and the largest freshman class in Cal State Long Beach's history are expected for fall 2000, according to campus officials.

Although figures will not be definite until later on in the semester, the projected figures for new students are somewhere near 9,500, which includes 3,700 new freshmen said Armando Contreras, executive assistant to CSULB President Robert Maxson. The incoming freshmen helped boost the number of full and part-time CSULB students to an estimated 31,000, Contreras added.

There has been a "trend of about 5 or 6 consecutive years of increase," he said.

The projected figure is surprising considering CSULB only accepted applications for fall 2000 in November of last year.
"This is the first time we limit applications to one month," Contreras said.

In the 30 days that CSULB accepted applications for fall 2000, "almost 20,000 freshman applied," Maxson said.  "That's 3,000 more than the year before." Transfer students, who had a March 15 deadline, showed a 1 to 2 percent increase.

An applications report chart from the chancellor's office, which compares applications in all Cal State University campuses from August 99-00 showed that CSULB had a 13 percent increase in applications for first-time freshman. The same report also showed a 5.6 percent increase in upper division or transfer students and a 1.5 percent increase for master's program applicants. The total increase for all applications is 9.9 percent.

"We have a surge in freshman enrollment that's been going on for 3 to 4 years," Maxson said.  "This is a hot campus.  This campus has become one of the in places to go to school."

Why is CSULB so appealing?

SNAP (Student Needs and Priority Survey) a system wide survey given every six years, and compares the various responses from the previous years, showed an increase in virtually all categories ranging from the library, fees, courses, instructors, and availability of classes for CSULB. In the spring semester, "80 percent of students stated that they came here for the skilled instruction and high level of instructors," Maxson said. The survey is randomly given in the last class, usually through enrollment listings.

The geographic regions of applicants show widespread appeal of CSULB for those who reside far from Long Beach.  About 30 percent of students come from local areas, which includes high schools and 70 percent from locations as far as Sacramento, Fresno, and Stockton, Maxson said.

An increase in online admissions can be attributed to a greater increase in non-local applicants.  The online service in its third year, "has been increasing in popularity," Contreras said.  Online admission is "generally quicker, but the applications do not go directly to the applied campus," [however]  "many students will do more online in the future because it is certainly faster," he said.

"A lot of students will do more online," Maxson said, who feels that students find the campus environment appealing and diverse.

"Diversity is a very high priority on this campus. I think diversity will stay just where it is now."