UCSA argues nonresident enrollment cap will limit multiculturalism, accessibility

The University of California Student Association sent a letter to the California State Legislature on Wednesday opposing a proposed cap on nonresident student enrollment.

The letter, which was written by UCSA President Caroline Siegel-Singh, opposed a proposal by the UC to cap nonresident student enrollment at 10 percent per campus.

“(The UC is) mimicking the language used by the federal government about, ‘These are the people that we want, not other people,’” Siegel-Singh said.

Siegel-Singh said in the letter that the cap would hurt efforts to make attending a UC campus more affordable, as nonresidents currently contribute $120 million toward need-based financial aid for about 100,000 in-state students, she added.

She added she believes the cap would also limit the multicultural atmosphere of the UC provided by out-of-state and international students.

The UC raised nonresident tuition by $978 in March 2018, a 3.5 percent increase.

Siegel-Singh said she thinks the tuition increase and proposed cap show how a UC education is becoming less accessible to nonresident students.

“What we’re seeing, it’s becoming more of an access issue as well as affordability, if the only people who can attend can fork over $50,000 to $60,000 per year,” Siegel-Singh said.

Contributing reports from Emily MacInnis, Daily Bruin contributor.