Representatives from San Jose State University will hold a public hearing at Foothill College on Wednesday, March 21 to discuss a proposal to raise admissions standards for local high school graduates and transfer students. The changes would take place for students applying for fall of 2013.

“We’re doing this not because we want to, but because we have to,” said Pat Harris Lopes, media relations director for San Jose State, citing state budget cuts as the reason for needing to limit enrollment.

San Jose State currently has a policy of allowing local students automatic admission should they meet minimum requirements for the California State University system. Non-local students are required to meet higher standards.

According to a press release, the proposed change “replaces SJSU’s long-standing ‘local area guarantee’ at the CSU minimum eligibility level with a ‘local preference’ for admission of applicants from the local service area.”

According to De Anza’s website, 984 students transferred to San Jose State in 2010-11, by far representing the largest number of any school. The second most transferred to school was San Francisco State with 199.

De Anza transfer counselor Trish Rios Gibson said that because of the number of students that go to San Jose State, any changes in admissions would have an impact.

San Jose State briefly considered changing their admissions policy for this fall before reversing course.

“We were pleasantly relieved it didn’t change (for 2012-13),” Rios Gibson said.

Foothill transfer center coordinator Maureen Chenoweth sympathized with San Jose State’s proposed changes, saying they’re forced by budget cuts.

She said that changes to admissions have already been significant. Four years ago students could apply to SJSU with a 2.0 GPA and apply as late May and be virtually guaranteed admission. resently, she said students must apply by Nov. 30 and no lower division or mid-year transfers are allowed.

Chenoweth said budget cuts at San Jose State have had repercussions beyond the number of students they can admit. She said their office of outreach has been cut.

“We used to have San Jose State come every month,” she said. “Now I’m lucky if I get them once a quarter.”

Chenoweth said students should have the option to go to a local school and bemoaned the lack of funding in general for higher education. She said students that choose to go to school out of state may not return, saying “it’s almost like a brain drain.”

“What do you do when you get that internship and you establish a working relationship in an area, are you going to go “sorry, I’m going to back to California where I live,” they’re not going to do it, and that’s what the voters don’t seem to realize, it’s having a serious negative impact on the state economy.”