The number of California high school graduates enrolling at California State University or University of California campuses has declined.
According to a study from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), enrollments dropped from 22 percent to 18 percent in the past five years.
Enrollment rates of high school graduates who have completed general education courses, which are required for admission to these colleges, declined even more from about 67 percent to 55 percent.
The PPIC study also found that the declines have not occurred due to a drop in applicant qualifications but instead as a result of public university systems employing different strategies to balance their budgets.
In response to the budget cuts, state universities have cut courses, programs and services.
Lisa Marie Leal, a stylist at Great Clips in Long Beach, said she chose to attend a vocational school rather than a public university because she knew she wanted to cut hair right out of high school.
“College is a waste of time,” Leal said. “Even though people get degrees, they still can’t find jobs. People are studying useless things.”
Leal attended Bellflower Adult School of Cosmetology, graduated within 10 months and paid only $900 for tuition.
Matt Andujo, an Arizona State University senior from Whittier, said he chose to go to school out-of-state because of the California budget cuts.
“I knew by the time I was a senior, my available financial aid for a student like myself would be close to nothing,” Andujo said. “Going out-of-state has proved to be very expensive, so in hindsight, I probably would have been better off to stay in California despite budget cuts.”
PPIC projected in their Defunding Higher Education report that the state will fall one million college graduates short of economic demand by 2025 unless enrollment and graduation rates improve substantially.
“This is precisely the wrong direction California should be headed to meet the future demand for highly educated workers,” author Hans Johnson said.