The last thing a high school student needs when applying to California’s famously accessible public universities is a huge roadblock that says: Don’t even think about trying to get accepted here.
But that’s how it can feel to students hoping to major in the most popular subjects, from computer science to psychology, at University of California or California State University schools.
The problem arises when too many students try to crowd into a program — or even a campus — with too few seats. CSU’s 23 campuses describe these majors “impacted.” Most UC campuses call them “selective.” UC Berkeley says they are “high demand” majors, while UC San Diego calls them “capped.”
- College Guide : Getting into UCLA, Berkeley and every UC and CSU
- Read more : These are the college majors that lead to the best-paying jobs for UC and CSU graduates
- Data tools: Acceptance rates by major | Cal State admissions rates for every California high school
Whatever the terminology, many applicants believe that if they want to study these jam-packed subjects — usually science, technology, engineering and math, known collectively as STEM — they’ll have to go to a different school altogether…