This week, the UC Office of the President released admissions data for this fall’s entering class. While acceptance rates are up systemwide, the results are a mixed bag for the future of our institution.

Compared to last year, the rate of out-of state students and international students rose by a staggering 4 percent. And while it’s great that these students are bringing in much-needed funds, these admission rates are gradually privatizing the UC system, a change that will ultimately hurt the institution’s goals.

Ultimately, admitting more out-of-state and international students goes against the mission of the UC system, which is to serve the in-state residents, and in theory bolster the state economy post-graduation.

The proportion of out-of-state offers has increased dramatically in the past few years. This year, just 76.7 percent of students admitted to UCSD are in-state as opposed to 89.4 percent two years ago, according to UCOP. Other UC campuses range from UC Berkeley’s 68.8 percent to Merced’s 97.4 percent. The UC-wide admission rate for out of state students rose from 8.7 percent in 2010 to 10.7 percent this year.

Out-of-state students who can afford to pay full-price for a UC education — or about $22,878 more than residents do — usually have the financial means to pay for education at almost any university, public or private, in the nation.

The UC system’s first duty is ostensibly to serve as many qualified state residents as possible. Increasing non-resident rates, while keeping overall acceptance rates stable, means less offers to those who may not have other options for higher education.

But when push comes to shove, and we’re looking at a just-finalized budget that slashes $500 million from the UC system for the 2011-12 academic year (and which will doubtless be coupled with further tuition hikes), admitting more out-of-state students may be the lesser of two evils.

The increase in out-of-state admits for UCSD — 4,419 undergrads for 2011-12, compared to 2,874 for the current academic year — could provide a comfortable defense against the $60-million cut UCSD is projected to take come fall.

These changes aren’t unprecedented — at the University of Michigan, a model of privatization among public universities, only 66 percent of the student population are state residents.

And although admitting more out-of-state students and raising students fees are not mutually exclusive options, the former is still preferable: It chiefly affects those who are willing, and able, to bear the increased financial burden. In contrast, student fees hikes to the tune of 40-percent in two years affect most every UC student.

Of course, the increasing privatization of the university can’t be said to affect only those taking on the brunt of the financial burden. This shift will significantly reduce access to the UC system for in-state students, as they’re increasingly nudged out to make room for those who can afford to pay more.

While clearing some sapce for out-of-state students may be the least harmful option at present, it also signifies a definite shift toward privatization.

What’s worse, it’s a step even further away from the California Master Plan for Higher Education — which, in 1960, imagined a UC system that offered a world-class college education for next to no money to every qualified California resident that wanted one. In light of this admissions report, that vision’s begun to seem as much a pipe dream as ever.