With the state experiencing a severe budget shortfall, universities are being forced to manage their enrollments by making changes to admissions requirements.

Beginning in fall 2005, all California state universities will require a minimum of 60 transferable units for all upper division level transfer students.

Transfer coordinator Susan Oda-Omori said that once the increase goes into effect, it will remain as a permanent requirement for all transferring students.

“Raising the transferable units from fifty-six to sixty units will put both the UCs and CSUs in alignment with each other,” Oda-Omori said.

Kenneth Key of the Student Counseling Services said talk of the increase has gone on for the past six years, but will actually be implemented in fall 2005.

“With this change, students will transfer as actual juniors and will have completed all the courses they need,” Key said.

Although no particular courses are required to fulfill the extra units, Oda-Omori said students should be looking to complete their lower division general education in preparation for their majors.

“Some students will need elective units to bring them up to that sixty units,” Oda-Omori said.

Students should not wait until the end to take these required courses Oda-Omori said, but should pay close attention to when those requirements need to be completed.

“A few of the CSU campuses want them done a bit earlier than others,” Oda-Omori said.

As it stands now, Oda-Omori said there are cases where students do not finish all of the lower division level work, which is usually in their freshman and sophomore classes, but still meet the admission requirements.

“A lot of students can come back and finish that one last course they need, but ideally, they will finish as much as they can while they are here,” Oda-Omori said.

Philip Gomez, Inter-Club Council (ICC) comissioner of fundraising, said he is taking all of his general courses first and then he plans to worry about his major later.

Ruben Vidales, 23, is a law major and said he plans to transfer once he completes all of his general education units.

“I think increasing the unit requirements makes sense; otherwise, it is like trying to go to college and you have not completed high school,” Vidales said.

With these new changes, Oda-Omori said if students plan to transfer in the fall, they should meet all of their requirements by the end of the prior spring.

“When it comes to certain campuses, students will not be able to wait to use that last semester,” Oda-Omori said. “If they want to transfer in the spring, they must finish their required courses by the end of that summer.”

“This is why counselors have been pushing students to complete sixty units,” Key said. “It puts them at the actual junior level.”

Oda-Omori said the increase is a positive move and should have no impact on students, particularly when it comes to upper division transfers.

“I think it is a good thing,” Oda-Omori said. “We always try to get students to do as much as they can while they are here and transfer center directors all across the state are in favor of it.”

However, Oda-Omori said it could become very competitive and since some campuses are only accepting students in the fall, they are strongly recommending that students apply online rather than do the traditional paper applications.

“Students really need to stay on top of things,” Oda-Omori said, “and come in for counseling to make sure they are meeting these requirements.”