Fresno State is a hot destination for new students. More than 17,000 freshman and 6,500 upper division transfer students applied to Fresno State for the fall 2013 semester, the most applications ever received by the university for a single semester.

The applications for fall 2013 represent an 8 percent increase for freshman students and a whopping 25 percent increase for transfer students. Fresno State is impacted and the fall 2013 application period is now closed to applications from new freshmen and transfer students.

According to Bernie Vinovrski, associate vice president for Enrollment Services, there was a flurry of application activity in the days leading up to the Nov. 30 deadline. More than 4,000 applications were received in the final two days of the filing period.

“We are delighted with the continued popularity of Fresno State,” Vinovrski said. “Despite early concerns about state trigger cuts and potential enrollment reductions, the fall 2013 application cycle set a record for the university and confirms the continued demand for public higher education.”

The increase in applications to Fresno State reflects a trend across the California State University (CSU) system. Each CSU campus received more applications from first time freshmen and transfer applicants than last year. The increases across all 23 campuses combine for a fourth straight year of record high systemwide applications.

Through Nov. 30, potential CSU freshmen, transfer, credential and graduate students submitted 763,517 applications for fall 2013 – a systemwide increase of 12 percent from last year. Potential students typically submit applications to multiple CSU campuses. The total fall 2013 submissions came from 294,926 individual applicants – an increase of 10 percent from fall 2012.

The CSU also continues a trend of attracting a diverse group of students. Based on self-reported statistical data, no ethnic or racial group forms a majority among CSU undergraduate applicants. The share of Latino applicants continues to increase. A snapshot as of Nov. 30 shows 99,558 undergraduate applicants who self-identify Hispanic or Latino – up from 86,147 at this point last year. The number of applicants self-identifying as African American, American Indian, Asian or Hawaiian/Pacific Islander also increased from fall 2012 to fall 2013 ­– with a relatively constant share of the total.

“The CSU reflects the diversity of California because we have made it our mission to educate all communities in the state,” said Nathan Evans, director of CSU Enrollment Management Services. “The public demand for higher education has never been greater, yet the university struggles to meet that demand in a climate of unreliable state funding.”

The system held applications from new students pending the outcome of Proposition 30, which threatened a direct impact on funded enrollment targets due to the potential for $250 million in trigger cuts. Having avoided those cuts, campuses are currently processing applications and admitting students.

However, Proposition 30 itself does not provide funds necessary to meet current and future enrollment demand. This led the CSU Board of Trustees in November to approve a budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year that calls for state reinvestment in the CSU.

“The ability of the CSU to educate California’s workforce depends on a positive commitment from the state,” said Robert Turnage, assistant vice chancellor for budget. “The CSU proposal balances continuing state fiscal challenges with the right of current and future students to receive a quality university education.”

Even though most campuses completed their fall 2013 application period for new undergraduates, opportunities to apply to graduate programs are still available. A complete list of open campuses and programs at the graduate and undergraduate level can be found on CSU Mentor.

For more information, contact Kathleen R. Schock with University Communications, at 559.278.2756 or kschock@csufresno.edu.