(Bloomberg) -- Thousands of students will likely miss their chance to walk through University of California, Berkeley's historic Sather Gate as incoming freshmen in the next academic year.
UC Berkeley will be forced to slash its enrollment by 3,050 after the California Supreme Court, in a 4-2 vote, on Thursday refused to grant the university's request to pause a lower court order that capped student enrollment.
The lower court order freezing enrollment at 42,347, the same level as 2020-21, would reduce undergraduate admission offers by at least 5,100. The student cap would lead to a loss of at least $57 million in tuition, fees, and state support that would hurt its operations, according to the university.
The fight over enrollment began after UC Berkeley was sued in 2018 by Save Berkeley Neighborhoods. The local advocacy group claimed a growing student population was fueling housing issues, including low-income tenants being pushed out.
UC Berkeley said in a statement that it was “disheartened” by the ruling but would work with legislators to seek solutions to address its impacts on the school's enrollment plans.
“This is devastating news for the thousands of students who have worked so hard for and have earned a seat in our fall 2022 class,” the university said. “Our fight on behalf of every one of these students continues.”
California's Governor Gavin Newsom expressed disappointment over the ruling in a tweet, saying thousands of dreams will be dashed as a result.
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