Colleges & universities.

Ranked by full-time student equivalents for the 1996-97 average enrollment period

Enrollment at L.A.-area colleges and universities is up nearly across the board. Practically every institution on this year's List reported more students in the 1996-1997 school year than the year before - and some increases were fairly dramatic. Mr. San Antonio College in Walnut, No. 3 on the List, jumped from 19,348 full-time equivalent students in 1995-1996 to 22,954 this year, a 19 percent gain.

With the rise in students came a corresponding increase, for most schools, in budgets and faculty. In fact, if the annual budgets for the top 10 colleges and universities are added up, there's a 5.6 percent increase in spending this school year over last year.

Ironically, one exception is Mr. San Antonio College, which will apparently be expected to do more with less; its budget was cut from $59.5 million last year to $59.2 million this year.

[TABULAR DATA OMITTED]

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES Chancellor: Albert Carnesale

UCLA is in the midst of a tumultuous time in its history, rocked by this spring's allegations of preferential treatment for the children of wealthy donors and the decision by the University of California Board of Regents to eliminate Affirmative Action at all UC campuses - an issue that has led to student protests at UCLA and contributed to the decision by former Chancellor Charles E. Young to resign.

Albert Carnesale, former provost and professor of public policy at Harvard University, arrived in Westwood in early July to try to set things right - and to help with the university's fund-raising efforts. UCLA is in the midst of the public portion of a fund-raising campaign seeking to raise more than $1 billion.