Sen. Michael J. Rubio (D-Shafter) presented the Senate Constitutional Amendment 22 on May 16. The measure, if passed into legislation, would establish a 10 percent cap on undergraduate enrollment of out-of-state and international students for Fall 2013. This year, the UC system’s undergraduate enrollment totaled 181,028, with 11,600 out-of-state and 16,134 international students, or 6.4 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively.   

“SCA 22 ensures that California students get a fair shot at attending our University of California system — and not be turned away simply because a wealthy student from the East Coast or abroad shows up with checkbook in hand,” Rubio said in a May 16 press release.

The measure has already drawn criticism from UC representatives. In a May 24 message from UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, he states the importance of out of state and international students to the educational experience of California students and to the campus’ revenue stream. Out-of-state and international students composed 18 percent of the 25,885 undergraduate students enrolled at UC Berkeley this year. Specifically, 2,374 non-California students and 2,423 international students were admitted.   

According to the message, UC Berkeley is hoping to increase out-of-state and international students to 20 percent of the total undergraduate enrollment. Birgeneau said Rubio’s proposed 10 percent cap would lead to a $60 million shortfall that would have to be made up by increases in student tuition. UC Berkeley admitted 3,759 out of state and international students for Fall 2012, down from last year’s 4,403. 

Currently, tuition and fees for out-of-state students at UCSD amounts to an annual $36,078 per student. Resident students at UCSD pay $13,234 in tuition and fees for the 2011-12 academic year.

According to “UC, UCSD out-of-state admissions spike,” published April 17 in the U-T San Diego, the UC system admitted 18,846 nonresident students for Fall 2012, a 43 percent increase from 2011. 

At UCSD alone, 7,425 nonresidents were admitted for Fall 2012, representing a 75 percent increase from 2011. According to the UCSD Fall 2011 college portrait, out-of-state and international students represented 9.6 percent of total undergraduate enrollment. Of the 23,046 total undergraduate enrollment at UCSD this year, 697 students were from out of state and 1,511 students were from out of the country. 

“We’re thrilled UC San Diego continues to attract many highly qualified and dynamic students,” Assistant Vice Chancellor for Admissions and Enrollment Services Mae Brown said in the U-T San Diego on April 17. “Our students have made tremendous contributions to this campus, helping to establish UC San Diego as a world-renowned, academic powerhouse.”