Long Beach State received a record number of freshman and transfer applicants for the fall 2019 semester, topping out at over 106,000.
The student applicants will be vying for around 10,000 open seats for the fall term, according to LBSU. The number of applicants lead the California State University system for the second year in a row.
According to President Jane Close Conoley, the increased competition has forced the university to turn away thousands of qualified applicants.
“[Applicants] did everything they were told to do and yet there’s no space for them,” Conoley said in an March 13 interview with the Daily 49er. “Some universities brag about how many students they turn away, but I don’t feel good about that at all.”
Currently the school is funded by the state for 30,000 full-time students, but Conoley said enrollment may increase by up to 2% with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed increased funding for the CSU system.
LBSU admitted 31% of its fall 2018 applicants, making it one of the most competitive universities in the CSU system.
Nolan Havig, fifth year graphic design and marketing major and fall 2016 transfer, applied to 10 schools, but LBSU was his top choice.
“Long Beach was the most competitive for [graphic design],” Havig said. [The school will] only accept three transfer students that are pre-graphic design.”
As one of the cheaper CSU campuses, the cost of attendance was also a factor for Havig’s decision.
“That’s why I chose Long Beach, because it was the best program at the cheapest cost,” Havig added. “I transferred from up north so cost was a huge factor.”
The number of applicants has increased by over 29,000 since 2012, mainly due to the draw of transfers to the school, which make up 34% of admissions.
Long Beach ranks 10th in the nation for transfer student admissions, according to a recent report. The campus is also one of the only CSUs to admit spring transfers.
“I’m grateful to our faculty and staff for giving so many transfer students a chance to earn their degrees here,” Conoley said.
Hannah Getahun and Perry Continente, Assistant News Editors contributed to this story.