Larry Olea of Rancho Cordova took two days off from work to sign up for classes at Sacramento City College.

He ticked off the list of closed courses: history, math, philosophy, English.

"It's frustrating," he said. "A lot of classes are closed, so you end up waiting longer, and it takes more semesters to graduate."

Students at the four Los Rios Community College District campuses -- American River, Cosumnes River, Folsom Lake and Sacramento City -- are scrambling for classes.

Getting the classes they need is more difficult than ever, they say, in a district that has seen its population boom by 30 percent over the past five years. Programs are overcrowded, general education courses are full, and classes with low enrollment have been canceled before the fall semester starts next week as administrators attempt to conserve resources.

And that's just the start. Counselors are overwhelmed, testing centers booked, financial aid backlogged and parking a nightmare.

"The luxury of shopping for classes is over," said Susie Williams, district spokeswoman. "We tell students if there are classes they need to get in there and don't mess around."

Explosive growth on campuses combined with state budget cuts and recent increases in higher education fees have left two-year students fighting for classes and services they once relied on.

Last week, Diane Arp, a 53-year-old returning student at American River College, was seated at one of several rows of computer terminals, trying to register for classes. Two required classes were full.

"It's just frustrating when classes aren't available," she said. "It happened last year, too."

Arp, who is majoring in early childhood education, one of the college's most popular programs, said her education is taking longer to complete because more students are signing up for classes, but sections haven't been added to meet the demand.

"It's always crowded around here -- more so now," she said. "I'll just show up to classes anyway and hope there's an opening or someone drops."

With enrollment up, American River College students like Antoine Ross of Natomas registered for classes last semester.

"I know from previous experience that classes go like this," he said, snapping his fingers.

Ross said many of his friends who didn't pay registration fees in time were dropped from classes and now find it nearly impossible to find general education courses with open seats.

College officials said an incredible population growth -- called "Tidal Wave II" -- is placing a tremendous strain on school resources.

As of the first week in August, enrollment at American River College has grown 4 percent over last year to nearly 19,500 students.

"There are only so many sections available, and at some point, you run out of classroom space, teachers or money to fund one or the other," said Stephen Peithman, American River College spokesman.

Peithman said the school has experienced consistent growth for years, but unless the district receives more money from the state, it and other campuses will be unable to meet student demands.

Districtwide, enrollment is up 5 percent over last year. District officials expect that number to increase in the coming weeks. Officials estimate 76,000 students will attend their schools this fall. That's a 30 percent jump over the student population five years ago.

The dramatic rise in the number of students is due in part to booming growth in the region, especially in the Elk Grove and Laguna areas, Williams said.

In addition, the number of people going to college for the first time or returning to brush up on skills is at an all-time high. Statewide, an average of 65 residents per 1,000 enroll in community college. But at Los Rios, nearly one in 10 adults in the greater Sacramento area are signing up for classes, district officials said.

State college and university students are crowding the system, too, as fees for those institutions jump 25 percent this fall. Four-year college students are taking general education classes at community colleges where they can save hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Iohla Thomas, a 28-year-old criminal justice major at California State University, Sacramento, is doing just that. She signed up for a general education class at Sacramento City College.

Thomas was beaming after enrolling in sign language. "It's a lot cheaper to go here," she said. "You have to work out the transportation, but it's the smartest thing to do. I'd recommend it to anyone."

But such actions worry college officials.

"For those of us at the community college level, this trend means there is the potential for some community college students to not have access to classes because of university students," said Thelma Scott-Skillman, president of the Folsom Lake College Center.

The Folsom Lake campus has more than 4,500 registered students, a 3 percent gain over last year. In keeping with district trends, however, Scott-Skillman expects to see that number nearly double before the end of the school year.

Melissa Marie, 19, of Rancho Murieta is going to college for the first time, but she has heard horror stories about the competition for classes and signed up early to get the classes she wanted.

"My cousin went to AR at the last minute and didn't get any of her classes," she said. "She warned me."

But not all students are so lucky.

In the admissions office at Cosumnes River College, Makala Lee of Laguna hunched over a schedule of classes and shook her head. Four classes she had hoped to take are full.

"It's making me frustrated," said Lee, 19. "It's my own fault. I waited too late. A lot of classes I need are closed."

Lee, like most first-year students, had to make an appointment with a counselor to determine which classes are transferrable to state universities.

But at Cosumnes River, where enrollment is up by 7 percent, counselors are overwhelmed, and students have to make appointments well in advance, which causes delays in testing and registering for classes, said Claudia Hansson, vice president of student services.

"Students wait until the last minute, and we're flooded," she said. "We do the best we can, but it's brutal."

Hansson said the college's assessment center and financial aid department are swamped.

With community college students facing a fee hike -- from $11 a unit to $18 -- the financial aid department has nearly as many applications to process at the start of the semester as there were for the entire 2002-03 school year, she said.

To offset state budget cuts, most of the district's colleges have pared course offerings.

Division deans are quick to cut classes with lagging enrollments in an effort to funnel more resources into popular sections such as English, math, history and business.

Reginal Prasad of Elk Grove thumbed through textbooks in the Cosumnes River College bookstore, trying to decide whether he should purchase an accounting book for a class that's full, with the hope of snagging a seat. It's a risk he's less inclined to take given the delays in his financial aid, he said.

Williams said the very mission of community colleges is at stake given the current crisis.

"Community college is supposed to be open to all who can benefit," she said. "For colleges to say, 'This is our limit; this is all we can take,' is very hard. If we can't meet students' demand because there's no money to hire more faculty, then we're not serving all students."