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More than 3,000 incoming UC Berkeley students may no longer be able to enroll following a ruling by an Alameda County court.
The university announced Monday that they may have to cut a third of their incoming fall 2022 class after a judge upheld a lawsuit by a Berkeley neighborhood group and ordered an enrollment freeze last August. According to the LA Times, the group claims the university's growing enrollment is having a negative impact on traffic, noise, housing prices, and the natural environment. “This court-mandated decrease in enrollment would be a tragic outcome for thousands of students who have worked incredibly hard to gain admission to Berkeley,” UC Berkeley said in a statement. “If left intact, the court’s unprecedented decision would have a devastating impact on prospective students, university admissions, campus operations, and UC Berkeley’s ability to serve California students by meeting the enrollment targets set by the state of California.”
Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods, the neighborhood group which filed the lawsuit, blame the crisis on the university, saying that a lack of campus housing has been the significant issue and that the school has failed to accommodate its growing student population. Phil Bokovoy, president of the group, added that UC Berkeley could manage the court-ordered enrollment freeze without hurting California students by reducing offered admissions to international and out-of-state students. “It’s irresponsible for Berkeley to add 3,000 new students in the midst of a terrible housing crisis,” Bokovoy said.
If forced to drop the students enrolling, UC Berkeley would potentially lose $57 million in tuition funds.