Innovation at CSUN

As the children of the baby-boom generation hit college age, school administrators across California are bracing for what they call Tidal Wave II. At Cal State Northridge, that preparation included last week’s Instant Admission Days, when potential students found out in a few hours whether they were accepted to the school. Those who remember the agonizing process of waiting by the mailbox for college responses understand the value of finding out fast whether a student is in or not.

About 1,600 students were admitted last week, about 12% of the 13,500 freshmen and transfer students the university plans to admit to the fall 1998 semester. Of course, not all of those students will attend CSUN--the school averages a 30% enrollment rate--but it gives the university a strong idea of who might be in class next fall and what classes they will need.

For the first time, CSUN will close its admissions at the end of November, much like schools in the UC system. Programs such as Instant Admission Days help make students aware of impending deadlines and gets them involved in the process early. For CSUN, early admissions deadlines allow administrators time to plan schedules carefully to maximize tight budgets. At a time when public educators are asked to do more with less, a pipeline of small innovations like instant admissions will no doubt make the difference between success and failure.