State budget cuts influence what colleges students choose - Jean Cowden Moore, Ventura County Star

The state's budget woes, along with family finances, are weighing on some high school seniors who have one more week to decide where they want to go to college. Students admitted to a UC or CSU campus worry that ongoing budget cuts may mean tuition will go up yet again, or they might not get the classes they need to graduate in four years. That's one reason Austin Vitale, 18, a senior at Moorpark High School, has chosen the University of Mississippi over UCLA. Like other students this year, Vitale applied to several out-of-state schools in addition to UC campuses. Ole Miss gave him the biggest scholarship and admitted him to an honors program with classes of no more than 20 or so.