CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
By Monica Dekany
Western Sun staff writer
The state budget cuts are affecting all the colleges in California and Cal State University, Long Beach is no exception. The reduction of classes and programs has made it necessary for students to find alternative options in order to keep their full-time status on campus.
One option is to take classes that are outside of the major, however this causes students to exceed the 120 percent unit limit as stated by CSULB’s timely graduation policy. It was established to ensure that students are able to earn the units required to get a degree in their declared major.
A student is also required to file a request to graduate by the time they have completed 100 percent of their requirements.
According to the policy, those who do not comply will have their record placed on hold that restricts registration. If a major is not declared, students may be restricted to courses required to graduate.
Appeals are available but rare, and if denied the enrollment restrictions will stand. Some students have been told they will be dismissed from school without a degree because they don’t meet the policy requirements.
“I understand that the university is only trying to make room for future generations,” student Lorena Ortega said. “However, it’s not fair to just force students to leave without a degree after they’ve already paid so much in tuition.”
Many colleges and universities have similar regulations to ensure higher graduation rates, but it is not standard practice to force students to leave without a degree.
