Univ. of Maryland accepts more out-of-state students to preserve revenue - Tirza Austin, Diamondback

Fearful of a sharp decline in revenue from out-of-state tuition, the University of Maryland admitted more non-resident students than usual this year. Expecting the number of out-of-staters who actually enroll to decline because the struggling economy will make the university's significantly higher out-of-state tuition more difficult to afford, the university is admitting more non-residents in hopes of keeping the ratio similar to what it has been in past years. "We extended more offers to out-of-state students because we know it will be hard to attract them," said Barbara Gill, the director of undergraduate admissions, who said she is "concerned" about a drop in non-resident enrollment because students might choose to attend cheaper state colleges. Out-of-staters make up about 24 percent of the student body. But due to much higher tuition rates for non-residents, they provide more than half of the university's tuition revenue. If out-of-state enrollment was to decline drastically, the university would be in financial trouble, officials said.