SACRAMENTO – Assemblymembers Kristin Olsen (R-Riverbank) and Catharine Baker (R-San Ramon) announced today that they will be introducing legislation in the coming days to address the University of California’s targeted enrollment of nonresident students above and beyond that of California residents.
The legislation is in response to State Auditor Elaine Howle’s report of findings from an audit her office performed on the University’s enrollment practices, which have left state residents at a disadvantage to nonresidents. The report found that the University has undermined its commitment to California residents in an effort to increase its revenue by actively recruiting and enrolling nonresidents.
“It is unacceptable that the UC is intentionally enrolling nonresident students at the expense of fully eligible California students,” Olsen said. “The Auditor’s report confirms suspicions that many of us have long held to be true. California parents, students, and taxpayers deserve better.”
Baker said, “The State Auditor’s report is nothing short of damning. Nonresidents have been getting the red carpet treatment by UC, while California students can’t get in, can’t get the majors they want, and can’t study at the campus of their choice. That must end.”
Olsen continued, “I remain committed to holding UC’s feet to the fire to ensure that California students have access to a top-quality education that will set them up for success now and well into the future. It is the right thing to do for taxpayers, for families, and ultimately for our state’s economy.”
Despite a 52 percent increase in resident applications, resident enrollment increased by only 10 percent over the last 10 years, while nonresident enrollment increased by 432 percent. In addition, nonresident students have been given full access to their major and location preference, while resident students have been forced to change majors or campus locations in order to be enrolled.
In the coming days, Olsen and Baker will introduce a measure that includes several of the Auditor’s legislative recommendations. The measure would place a cap on the number of nonresident students that can be admitted to the UC system, and would require higher admission standards for nonresident students.
The full audit report on the University of California’s admissions decisions can be found here: https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2015-107.pdf
