California State University, Long Beach has received a record number of applications from potential undergraduate students, according to President F. King Alexander, who reported a preliminary count of more than 60,000 applications for the fall 2008 semester.
The application period for undergraduate students interested in attending Cal State Long Beach next fall ended on Nov. 30, and the number of electronic applications received was 60,389. But that doesn’t include paper applications, which means the final number will prove even higher when all undergraduate applications are considered.
It is the first time the number of undergraduate applications received by CSULB has surpassed the 60,000 mark, and this year’s count outdid last year’s total by more than 3,500 applicants.
“Cal State Long Beach consistently ranks among the top universities in the nation in the number of applications it receives from undergraduate students, especially those students who are going to be first-time freshman,” Alexander said. “In an environment where outcomes are often difficult to measure, it is reassuring to know that our university continues to be among the most desirable institutions in the country for high school seniors.”
Just three years ago, the number of undergraduate applications submitted for fall enrollment was hovering at around 50,000, which was still the most among other CSU campuses at that time. Since then however, university officials have seen an increase of more than 20 percent, including a jump in first-time freshman of about 38,500 for fall 2005 to 48,500 for fall 2008.
“The only drawback to receiving this large number of applications is the fact that we’re only going to be able to enroll about 4,000 new freshman for the fall 2008 semester,” noted Alexander.
For the last two straight years, Cal State Long Beach has set new enrollment records. The latest was this fall as the campus enrolled the largest number of students in its history with 36,870 students in its overall headcount.
This last year, the university also experienced its most successful year in retaining students at all levels. In fact, CSULB had 1,400 more continuing students this fall than it had a year ago, and Alexander said this increase was a primary factor in the campus’s new enrollment record.
“We’re very pleased to see that our multiple student success programs and initiatives are beginning to produce real results,” Alexander said. “Our entire campus is committed to not only enrolling new students but also helping them succeed and graduate from Cal State Long Beach.”
