California Students Look To Colleges In Other States

New reports indicate that more and more California students are leaving the state to pursue higher education.

The San Jose Mercury News has more:

University officials at public and private schools across the country are reporting record levels of California applicants to next fall's freshman class -- an intellectual flight pattern that worries public-policy experts, who fear students may never return.

The trend comes as the University of California and California State University systems are shedding courses, reducing enrollment and furloughing professors. And many outside schools are boosting their recruitment of Golden State students.

Schools such as the University of Washington, Arizona State University and the University of Delaware have seen a more than 20 percent increase in applications from Californians.

This information comes in the wake of a recent study that predicted a 16 percent enrollment increase at California universities in the next nine years.