U. of Calif. to Study Whether Campuses Enroll Too Many Out-of-State Students

The number of students from other states and from overseas who are admitted to the University of California has steadily risen in recent years as the institution—like other public higher-education systems around the country—has counted on the extra tuition they pay to help offset declining state support. The issue has raised fears among parents and lawmakers that state residents are being squeezed out.

On Tuesday the university’s president, Janet Napolitano, told the Los Angeles Times that she and campus chancellors would study whether some campuses were enrolling too many nonresident students and would try to determine “what is the right balance of out-of-state and international enrollment.”

At UCLA and Berkeley in particular, she said, the numbers of non-Californians “may be at about as maximum as they can be.”

Ms. Napolitano also repeated assurances that no California students were being pushed out to make room for nonresident students. She added that she hoped public concerns about the issue would result in increased state support for the university. “I hope it prompts leadership around the state to say, ‘Hey, if we want more California students admitted, we need to pay for that.’”