Competing for admission to colleges is becoming harder each year.

With forecasted budget cuts for the 2013-2014 academic year, many colleges are proposing a change in their admission policies that would force students to re-evaluate their college education plans.

The challenge that students face is becoming more real as some colleges in the CSU and UC systems have already orchestrated strict changes to the entrance requirements that are in place.

Possible new guidelines proposed would require transfer students to complete more prerequisite coursework toward a major at the community college level before applying for admission at a four-year university.

California State University, Long Beach, which this year received a “record number of undergraduate applications” according to a Daily News article, is contemplating adopting these new transfer admission requirements.

While an official at CSULB said these changes would create a more “streamlined path to graduation” by pushing students to declare a major sooner and therefore eliminating unnecessary coursework, it would put many transfer students’ education plans in jeopardy.

With fewer courses being offered at the community college level, it will take students longer to meet the prerequisite requirements proposed by CSULB.

This would decrease student transfer rates and prolong the next step in their college education plans.

On top of competing for courses, the proposed admission requirements would force students to take other measures in order to advance their graduation plans.

According to an article in the Daily News, students who meet CSULB’s minimum admission requirements but are in the bottom 10 percent of the applicants will have to take remedial classes before being admitted into the college.

The Transfer Center also has a number of scheduled workshops designed to help students fill out applications and understand the requirements of different academic programs. Students are encouraged to educate themselves on the college’s admission requirements before applying and confer with a counselor for a better chance at competing for a spot, which become more limited each year. As colleges continue to face budget cuts, higher-education is no longer a privilege, but a matter of survival.