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Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Too Many at UCLA?

We recently posted about UC-Berkeley's problem with litigation by a local neighborhood group that opposes upping the enrollment. A court decision has effectively capped new admissions.* Suffice it to say, that the upping of admissions that Berkeley was planning results from pressure by the legislature - and thus from the Regents - to increase enrollment at UC. The litigation is a symptom of that pressure.

So, are there symptoms at UCLA that suggest overcrowding? The Bruin recently updated an article about the priority arrangements for course registration, and changes in those procedures that are apparently in the mill to make them more fair, or effective, or something.** The elaborate procedures in place at UCLA determining when students with certain characteristics can register for courses - who goes first, second, etc. - is in fact a symptom. You can diddle with rationing systems. But at the end of the day, you are rationing only because demand is greater than supply. And that condition is exacerbated when you up enrollment (and thus demand) without sufficiently raising supply.

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*http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2022/02/too-many-at-berkeley.html.

**https://dailybruin.com/2022/02/14/academic-senate-restores-unit-cap-to-former-limits-for-priority-enrollment-students.

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