Here's the big story in admissions this year: The nation's largest higher education system (and its most diverse) is shifting from being de facto a non-competitive admissions university to a competitive one. Getting into the California State University System's 23 campuses (which educate 450,000 students) has just become iffy for many -- especially for those attracted to certain campuses and certain majors.

The shifts at Cal State are not the result of a state philosophy about making their campuses more competitive in admissions; rather, they are driven by deep budget cuts in the state, which have led the university's leaders to try to shrink enrollment at a time of rising demand.

The shift to a competitive admissions process at Cal State certainly presents an interesting opportunity for states in which the population of high school seniors is shrinking. An influx of California high schools seniors will now be forced to consider private and out-of-state options for college.

Do you have a California admissions/recruitment strategy?