By Daniel de Vise
Raechel Hanson toiled through high school to build an academic transcript strong enough for admission to the College of William and Mary, the storied "public Ivy" in Williamsburg. She maintained a 3.9 grade-point average, played flute in the band, presided over the Spanish club and amassed more than 100 hours of community service.
It wasn't enough. She wound up 20 miles away at a less-selective state school, Christopher Newport University.
This was a particularly tough year for Virginians seeking entry to William and Mary and several other prestigious public universities because of machinations in the admissions cycle that favored applicants from outside the state.
"I spent most of my life working toward getting in at William and Mary," said Hanson, 19, of Winchester. "I thought I was of the caliber of students who would get in."
Many of the nation's top public universities accepted nonresident students in greater numbers this year, hoping to increase - or at least sustain - a pool of incoming freshmen who pay two or three times the tuition charged to locals. At some schools, the push for nonresidents has made it harder for residents to get in.
Public universities with the cachet to attract out-of-state students have courted them for decades. But universities are looking harder at nonresident students and their tuition dollars during the recession as other revenue sources dwindle.
State funding has eroded by 10 percent in Maryland and by 20 percent or more in Virginia since the start of the downturn, accelerating a long-term nationwide decline in government support for higher education. Out-of-state students generally pay the full cost of their education, effectively subsidizing their in-state classmates.
Since pre-recession 2007, the share of nonresident students in the freshman class has grown considerably at several flagship universities: from 34 to 37 percent at William and Mary; from 19 to 25 percent at the University of Washington; from 43 to 49 percent at the University of Iowa; and from 35 to 44 percent at Penn State.
"It's a matter of fiscal realities," said Mark Emmert, president of the University of Washington. "Public universities survive on a combination of tuition revenue and state financial support. If one goes down, the other has to go up if you want to maintain your capacity."
A broader group of colleges, including the universities of Virginia and Maryland and flagship schools in Michigan, North Carolina and Minnesota, offered admission to more nonresident students this year than last year simply to shore up their numbers. The downturn made it harder for out-of-state students to pay the nonresident surcharge, so schools had to admit more nonresidents than they planned to enroll.
William and Mary accepted more non-Virginians than Virginians this spring for the first time in recent years.
The college has become progressively more selective for state residents: A Virginia high school senior who applied to William and Mary four years ago had a 47 percent chance of getting in. This year's admit rate was 39 percent. For non-Virginians, in the same span, the admission rate has risen from 22 to 30 percent.
U.Va. accepted more out-of-state students this year than last year and slightly fewer Virginians. The admission rate for Virginians has fallen from 49 percent in 2005 to 45 percent this year. But school officials note that the admit rate has declined for nonresidents, too.
Local university officials say any fluctuation in the admissions mix is purely temporary. A state cap forbids Virginia universities from raising their share of nonresident students above historic levels; at U.Va. and William and Mary, residents outnumber nonresidents roughly 2 to 1.
"We certainly understand our role as a state institution," said Brian Whitson, spokesman for William and Mary.
Schools are pushing those limits, officials say, because they cannot afford to lose nonresident tuition dollars. At William and Mary, two-thirds of tuition revenue, $58 million, comes from nonresidents who pay $30,964 in tuition and fees, compared with $10,800 for residents.
The competition between in-state and out-of-state students has hardened into a political cause in some states as the growing applicant pool makes it tougher for everyone to get in. Parents wistfully recall an era when seemingly anyone with good grades and high SAT scores could gain entry to top state schools.
"It's just not good enough anymore to have really good grades, really good SATs, really good sports, really good kid," Denise Miller said. Her son Billy was rejected by U.Va. despite a transcript that included high grades, Advanced Placement credits, Chinese, diving and squash. He's at his second choice, Virginia Tech.
In Virginia's recent gubernatorial contest, both candidates proposed plans to make more room for Virginians in state schools. Republican Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell campaigned on a plan to reduce the share of out-of-state students not by limiting their numbers but by increasing overall seats in state universities by 119,000 over the next 15 years.
"They're literally kicking kids across the borders to other states," said state Del. Timothy Hugo, R-Fairfax. He is the latest of several state lawmakers to push for tougher limits on out-of-state students.
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For Clarification
1. In-state students cannot and should not be guaranteed admission to such high-caliber institutions as W&M and UVa. Just because you've got good grades doesn't mean that you're a competitive candidate.
2. To suggest that any institution bases its admissions decisions on the basis of tuition is insulting to the out-of-state students who rightfully earned their place at Virginia institutions.
3. Though state funding may continue to erode, causing Virginia institutions to struggle much more than they deserve given their incredibly high quality, schools like W&M will ALWAYS continue to accept at least 2/3 incoming students into its freshman class each year.
4. The College has become more selective in large part due to a steady increase in applications while maintaining the size of the incoming freshman class. The number of applicants cannot be controlled by W&M, but does speak volumes about the high demand for admission at this institution.
5. This article is HIGHLY offensive to schools like Virginia Tech and CNU when it implies that those schools are "second choice" or "less selective."
As a current senior at
As a current senior at William and Mary I have learned that out of state students and in-state students are not considered in the same pool. In order to receive the little state funding the school gets and its title of a public university the College MUST ALWAYS, by law, accept at least 2/3 of its students from Virginia. This means that Virginian students are not directly competing with those from New York, North Carolina, etc. they are merely competing with each other. That being said, it is easier to be accepted from within Virginia due to the 2/3 to 1/3 proportion. As argued, this means that there was not some non-Virginian student taking this girl's spot at the College, there was another Virginian student doing so.
I am personally offended by the suggestion that Virginia higher education institutions are accepting out of state students principally for their increase in tuition revenue. In fact, these students are being accepted for a variety of reasons, including impressive credentials, diversity, expected contribution to the college, etc. The article suggests that these students bear the full brunt of their tuition AND subsidize their in state peers, when in fact out of
Excuses
As a student at William and Mary (who has lived in Virginia for the past 15 years), articles like this really offend me. I really tried to find a nicer way to say this, but I can't think of one. The reason these kids didn't get in is that they are not that impressive as applicants. A 3.9GPA in high school is really low here, especially if you didn't have ALL AP or IB credits. Very few students here came in without having taken all AP or IB classes for at least the last two years of high school. All of us were in tons of clubs in high school, we graduated at the top of our classes with NHS hoods. The reason you didn't get in is not because some out of state kid took your spot. It's because you didn't measure up.
Getting the full facts
I am really disheartened by this biased reporting. When did W&M become the scapegoat for something that all public schools have been forced to do in this tough financial time? Bellow is a letter that has recently been sent to the students of W&M by our current president. As you can see W&M is in a serious financial crisis right now, just like everyone else in the US. W&M is significantly underfunded from the state, especially in comparison with other states.
If slightly above average students who do not have incredible extra-curricular activities want guaranteed admittance into excellent state schools like William and Mary they should write to their representatives and/or vote on paying higher taxes so colleges like William and Mary will not be forced to make tough decisions about admitting kids who will simply be more advantageous to the school.
“Dear William & Mary Community,
Today the Board of Visitors approved a plan to re-balance William & Mary’s budget for the current fiscal year. This was required because of a substantial September cut in state funding for both the main campus … we must revise the main campus budget for 2009/10 because of a 15% ($6.2 milli
Why bother?
I don't understand why parents go through all the pain of getting their kid set up for college. Twelve years of PTA's and pumping for grades, then struggling to pay huge amounts of money for four+ years... just so their offspring can get a BS degree that qualifies them for a 15 dollar an hour job in a technical help desk. Once upon a time, a four year degree meant something. Now it's a fancy certificate for an overpriced VoTech education.
$15 an hour?!?
I got $10 an hour doing spreadsheets with my fancy ODU Finance degree. Eventually I parlayed it in to accounting, and now, about 6 years later, Im just barely making more then $15 an hour.
I think, $15 an hour is probably unrealistically high for most of the areas graduates.
if your kids
can't get in why pay your taxes. Just another example of "government" run amuck!! Guess this is change getting closer and closer. Ain't life grand??
Tuition Raise
How cheap and tacky. Virginia has the best schools in America and they pull a stunt such as this......How cheap and tacky!
The good news is that
The good news is that Virginia offers a lot of other excellent choices for public higher education than just WM, UVA & VT. Heck before Michael Vick, Va. Tech was easier to get into than ODU/GMU are now. Many bright in-state students are now discovering good schools like VCU, ODU, GMU, CNU, JMU etc. As these schools get better and brighter incoming freshmen, the quality and reputations of these institutions will skyrocket. As an example, its not coincidence that as WM & UVA have taken more and more out of state freshmen, ODU's on campus population has exploded, admissions standards increased tremendously, and the quality of education risen to national prominence. Many in state kids that would have gone to UVA/WM in the past are now choosing ODU or others. It may not have been their first choice, but a rising tide lifts all boats, and these students are still receiving a quality education and good college experience for a value. And as a result, they are helping to make ODU and all of our state universities schools we can be proud of.
Just plain wrong
How wrong is it when in state kids whose parents have paid a tn of taxes towards education only to have their child bumped out by another state's child. I'm not saying close the borders, but there should be more leeway towards an in-state kid and more difficult (in addition to expensive) for out of state. If their state's schoold arent; good enough, those parents should be complaining to get that changed vice running to another state. Plus those kids might remain in those states and apply their new wares there to help thier own economy.
Try not to look so surprised
Try not to look so surprised people. This is a hidden tax that affects your children more than you. This is just one of hundreds coming down the pike. Sure, you got to live a life of less consequence and the kids life looks rosy right now, but just wait until the rest of the bills come due. The current governor in an attempt to appear as though he raised less taxes allowed the reduction in funding to your schools and an increase in tuition. So now your kids understand the American way loud an clear: Your hard work is worthless. Your cash is what we want.
The schools have been tilting rules against students for decades. I personally never graduated over a clerical mistake made by a college instructor. They wanted $400+ to fix it. I walked. Education is rarely the goal anymore.
Fair story but...
Applications for WM freshman for 2009 - 14000+ 1200 openings and 300 openings for transfers. A GPA is just part -Extra Activities, Essays, SAT/ACTs, a constant challenge demonstrated in HS Curriculum are all evaluated. This year had more applicants than ever before because the loss of savings that the well to do had loss 50% value or so, and then could afford the private schools they desired. Each Higher end VA school had an high increase application pool this year. A 3% increase for incoming freshman is 36. No many but yes significant if you did not make the cut. Out of state applicants on average have higher scores and GPA than in state students. Out of State students are more rigorously screened. PILOT should do follow on story with stats for all schools / applications not just final numbers. Our child tried too for WM but even though she had a higher GPA than a friend the friend did get in. There is more than GPA we always heard but where do you find this out. Visit the schools in junior year.
Yes the Pilot should do a story
I would like to see a story on admissions stats for all state schools, BUT dig a little deeper and do some real journalism by showing us complete stats by gender and race. For instance, W&M has a higher admit rate for males than females, because fewer boys apply. And what about the Under Represented Minorities? Tell us their average SAT scores, too.
A few years back the paper did a nice article on the differing stats by gender and race. How about updating that information for your readers?
State funding is a fraction of University Income
State funding of schools like UVA and W&M is a fraction of their total operating budgets. At UVA it is a little over 8 percent. While I am sure the student profiled in the story worked hard, they fact is she did not work hard enough to gain acceptance at WM. I see the story left out her SAT scores and the GPA scale, which can be well over 4.0 with AP class weighting. Having a diverse class from all over the country and international students is part of what makes these schools great. I went to a small country high school and was able to gain acceptance to UVA. With hard work, anything is possible.
College costs
I have no sympathy for the schools claiming financial burdens, they waste a whole lot of money, and when they need to cut back, they cut back on the services being provided to the students, not to the overstaffed faculty. Yes, it may seem that most professors aren't making much money, but then again in this economy what right do they have to complain. Many professors with tenure don't ever bother teaching a full load of classes, if any, rather they have their grad students do it for them, while they conduct "academic research". I put two daughters through college, and both were more than qualified for W&M, but I guess we were in-state types. Generations of my family, including myself, have paid taxes to support these schools, and this is the thanks we get. Two more things, the in-state numbers are flawed, many of those claiming in-state have moved to VA in the last year or two and have paid virtually no taxes to support the system. It's an old trick, get a job at Busch gardens a summer in advance, rent an apt., get a driver's license, and horray I'm in state now. Second, those paying for the prepaid College Education better look at the deal a little closer, guess where your
The College is ANYTHING but
The College is ANYTHING but overstaffed. Numerous departments are currently operating below necessary faculty capacity due to hiring freezes. Because of this there are very few class choices offered, and this has been an issue for registration for Spring 2010, Fall 2009, and Spring 2009. In my time here I have never once had a class taught by a grad student, and as a double major I have had experiences in numerous departments. In fact, the only classes I have heard of being taught by grad students are labs and discussion sections, which is not unheard of at colleges and universities nationwide. In fact, my sister who attended Harvard had more classes taught by grad students that I have had at William and Mary, where the issue of this girl getting in would not even be an issue as it is a private institution.
College costs cont'd
Sorry, last line should continue as: guess where you kids are going? Probably not UVA, Tech, or WM. The state has your money now, and they aren't obligated to send your kid to the premier school, just to a state school. These schools are now primarily run to keep the kids from Northern Virginia and out of state happy.
Northern VA misconceptions
Some disclosure. I did got to UVa, I am not from Nova.
I don't think there are that many people that get a job at Busch Gardens for a few months to claim in state status. Even if there are, at least they are then paying taxes in state. We do, however, have a lot of people that move into NoVa b/c of government jobs that are here for only a few years. That happens each time a new administration comes in. B/c we're next to DC that will always be the case.
But did you stop to think that with each person moving in we have someone moving out that paid taxes for years and won't see any benefit? Or possibly that the person that's paid taxes for 2 years in northen VA has been paying taxes in Michigan for the past 20 years? Also, in general, the folks in NoVa are paying more in taxes b/c they have higher incomes, higher home values and more expensive cars (personal property taxes). So they actually want more NoVa kids let in at the expense of other in state kids.
So while you're down here complaining about out of state, they're up there saying they pay more in taxes and therefore more of their kids should get into the top schools. Are your tax dollars worth more than thei
Bravo ...
... well put.
The end of that article has a cogent quote from a state rep, that all these colleges in all these states are running the same scam, just kicking kids back and forth across state lines.
Why? The result is that tons more money gets kicked into the overall education industry, unnecessarily, by 10s of thousands of parents being bilked for out-of-state fees.
The scams get worse: It's now extremely difficult for these kids to grad in 4 years ... 2/3 now take 5 years or more, with the colleges bleeding the families for an extra year's tuition. It's how they've gotten past the post-boomer demographics.
And since when does 4 years of college require indoor heated Olympic swimming pools, gourmet 24-hour food courts, cableTV, and etc., etc.? Have you seen these campuses? Jeez!! I'm glad my kids are outta the shark pond. I don't know how today's parents do it.
No longer state funded
Before you all go crazy saying your taxpayer dollars are paying for these schools, you might want to look at the numbers. I'm not sure what the situation is at W&M but at Virginia, state tax money only provides 7% of the operating budget. If you count the University hospital, that number climbs to a whopping 12%.
Let me repeat...only 7%. How is that a 'state funded school.'
This has been true for a number of years going back to budget cuts enacted during Gov Wilder 20 years ago. The schools have all been forced to find their own funding since then.
The 3 flagship schools, UVA, W&M, and Va Tech were all having funding problems and went to the state several years ago with a proposal. They promised to keep their in state to out of state ratios at the same level and the state gave them more autonomy to run their own affairs. That ratio is roughly 2/3 to 1/3.
Also, as a side note. Before you bash the out of state kids, keep in mind, it's still significantly harder to get into any of the 3 schools from out of state. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me but realize that all those out of state kids are stronger applicants than the in state kids. Think 100+ p