CSUN PUTS BRAKES ON ENROLLMENT.

Byline: Sharline Chiang Daily News Staff Writer

It's tougher than ever to get into CSUN - and that's a good thing for students.

After enrolling too many freshmen last year, California State University, Northridge, narrowed its application window for the 1998 freshman class to just the month of November.

Then the university tightened its placement-testing deadline, but still found itself flooded with 644 more first-time freshman applicants than expected.

``We thought we'd have a smaller applicant pool, but it just meant that everyone got applications in on time,'' said Lorraine Newlon, director of admissions and records.

Still, CSUN projects this year's freshman class will be about 15 percent smaller than last year's - 400 fewer students - which is good news for the students.

Last year, overenrollment shut 300 freshmen out of required classes, especially in remedial math and English, Newlon said. By move-in day, 140 students were still on the dorm waiting list.

Some students managed to get the courses they wanted but found themselves standing or sitting in the aisles of crowded classrooms. Others who didn't get their classes said they were sent home with workbooks and told to study independently.

``Overall, the freshman class is going to be smaller, and we think we can better meet their demands,'' Newlon said. ``We literally ran out of seats, and we want to make sure that doesn't happen again.''

Putting up some obstacles to growth is new to CSUN, the same university that spent four years pumping up enrollment. The Northridge Earthquake on Jan. 17, 1994, left the campus in shambles and student interest plummeting. By that fall, total enrollment was 24,406, down 10 percent from 27,227 the previous fall.

A wide net

Administrators, who once panicked and ordered aggressive recruiting to lure all eligible high school students, are now exercising selectivity.

``We really threw the net out wide - wide enough so we could bounce back,'' said Ludim Seja deManzano, director for student outreach and recruitment services.''

Seja deManzano said CSUN used to recruit among all who took the Scholastic Assessment Test, but now is targeting those who also have passed tough Advanced Placement tests. ``So the net isn't as wide.''

CSUN officials made it tougher to apply this year.

The application period was cinched to the month of November. In past years students had 10 months, from November through August.

And for the first time, CSUN required incoming freshmen to take English and math placement tests by May 2. In the past they had until October.

Only those with SAT scores of at least 560 on the math portion and 540 on the verbal test are exempt from placement tests.

Newlon said 226 failed to take placement tests in time, and they will be disqualified from enrolling in the fall.

Other reasons

CSUN officials said there are many reasons for the increase in applicants.

One is the start of a population trend known as Tidal Wave II. Studies show the number of college-age students will increase dramatically in the next 10 years, threatening to overload colleges and universities.

Also, recent reports on high school dropout rates show they have declined during the past four years. More students have been staying in school and becoming eligible to attend college.

Recruiting change

Another change last year: Recruiting of high school seniors started in September, rather than mid-October.

While CSUN still is required to accept all students eligible for the California State University system - the upper 30 percent of high school students - the university last year began trying to lure more ace students.

This year CSUN created a new honors program and offered 21 Presidential Scholarships. Most who receive the new, four-year, full-ride scholarships are valedictorians with average SAT scores of 1300 out of a possible 1600.

``This past year, we really placed a concentrated effort on recruiting academically talented students,'' Seja deManzano said. ``We now have something to offer them.''

At the same time, CSUN is reducing the number of students who need remedial courses. Administrators are going into high schools and urging seniors to take remedial classes before graduation. Remedial courses also are being offered in the summer.

Earlier this year, the California State University system released a report that showed 43 percent of first-time freshmen enrolled in fall 1996 needed remedial English, and 53 percent needed remedial math.

At CSUN, 62 percent of freshmen who enrolled last fall needed instruction in English, and 67 percent required remedial work in math.

Community colleges

The CSU board passed a policy in March that calls for campuses to work with public schools to reduce the number needing remediation by 10 percent by 2001.

Pierce, Mission, Valley and other local community colleges also expect enrollment increases this fall. But Los Angeles Community College District officials said it is unclear how much of the rise is linked to the curb in CSUN enrollment.

``There's no way of telling that. There's not an application process that could detect whether students are coming here because they didn't get into CSUN,'' said district spokesman Blaire Sillers.

The elimination of affirmative action at University of California campuses, such as UCLA, may also prove to be a windfall for CSUN, Seja deManzano said.

This year UCLA found itself swamped with one of the most competitive student applicant pools in its history. It turned away thousands of applicants while seeing a 38 percent drop in African-American, Latino and American Indian students.

``We probably gained a considerable number of students who now consider us their first choice who were typically UC-bound students,'' Seja deManzano said.

FROSH DROP EXPECTED

After four years of boosting enrollment to make up for post-Northridge Earthquake losses, CSUN last year limited its freshman application window to the month of November and raised requirements. It still was swamped with more applicants than it needed. Nevertheless, the university expects this year's freshman class to be down 15 percent, or 400 students, compared to last year's class.

FALL 1997

8,505 --- Applications received Nov. to June

6,362 --- Eligible applications

2,596 --- Actual enrollment

FALL 1998

7,944 --- Applications received in Nov. (target was 7,300)

6,101 --- Eligible applications

2,200 --- Projected enrollment

SOURCE: CSUN

CAPTION(S):

Box

BOX: FROSH DROP EXPECTED (see text)

Bradford Mar/Daily News