Locals May Lose Preferential Admission To San Jose State Next Year
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - High school graduates and community college students from Santa Clara County will have a harder time becoming Spartans if San Jose State University stops giving admissions preference to local students.
The university was inundated with more than 40,000 applications this year, at a time when state budget cuts have seen many classes cut from the course offerings, said spokeswoman Pat Lopes Harris.
"What our Santa Clara County students need to know is that test scores and grades matter more than ever," said Lopes Harris.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
She estimated some 1,400 local applicants might be turned away next semester, even if they meet state admissions standards.
Tracy Flores, a transfer student from Redwood City, worried the tighter admissions standards would make it harder for struggling students who need the security of staying close to home.
She said transferring was already a difficult process at one of the most impacted schools in the California State University system.
"Since I transferred in kind of late, I had to fight for classes because all of them were full," said Flores. "I only got into two of them."
University officials plan to make a decision on the admissions policy after a conference call with the CSU Chancellor's Office on Friday.
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