Read the memo from SDSU President, Steven Weber, about recent changes to the admission policy

To: Students, Faculty and Staff

From: Stephen L. Weber, President

Subject: Changes to SDSU Admissions Process

To manage the unprecedented challenges California's budget cuts have created, San Diego State will reluctantly be making changes to its undergraduate admissions process for fall 2010.

These changes are a direct result of devastating state budget cuts of $571 million to the California State University and SDSU. The cuts are forcing the CSU to reduce enrollment system-wide by 40,000 students this year and next. San Diego State will reduce its enrollment by 4,588 undergraduates or 10.8 percent. Needless to say, these budget cuts are adversely and unfairly affecting not only thousands of CSU students, but many others throughout our state. Here at SDSU we have approximately 600 fewer faculty and staff; most of our employees are taking unpaid furloughs ? hence the diminished capacity to serve deserving students.

Changes to SDSU's admissions policy include:

1. For first-time freshmen: SDSU is impacting all majors and pre-majors (including undeclared) on campus in order to better manage enrollment and ensure students can get the classes they need to graduate. Applicants will be required to apply to a pre-major or undeclared and will be admitted based on their CSU Eligibility Index (calculated from grades and SAT/ACT scores). Students from SDSU's service area will be given extra eligibility index points as part of SDSU's commitment to the community. Also, first-time freshmen from outside SDSU's service area will be required to live on campus their first year beginning in fall 2010.

2. For transfer students: SDSU will continue to honor the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) as its first admissions priority but will require that applicants complete 100 percent of their transfer work at local community colleges, have completed all general education and preparation for their major, and have a minimum GPA of 2.4 or the required GPA for their major (whichever is higher). This is intended, in part, to create more opportunities for students from SDSU's service area.

Note: SDSU will continue to honor its highly successful "Compact for Success" with the Sweetwater Union High School District and the City Heights Collaborative with Hoover High School.

It is important for you to understand why SDSU is making these changes to its admissions process. I encourage you to visit: www.sdsu.edu/enrollmentinfo where more information is available. We also welcome your questions, comments and continued advocacy with our state representatives.

Thank you for your continued commitment to access and excellence in spite of the budget challenges we all face.

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