LONG BEACH -- The California State University announced Wednesday that its campuses must stop increasing their enrollment and might deny admission to as many as 30,000 students in spring 2004.

Humboldt State University, long one of the few underenrolled campuses in the increasingly crowded 23-campus CSU system, just brought its enrollment up to the target this year and will likely not see major changes.

Enrollment statewide has been growing each year, to around 408,000 students currently. It was expected to grow 7 percent in 2003-2004 but will instead grow by about 4.3 percent this year and not at all in 2004-05.

Up to 30,000 students who planned to transfer in for spring semester may not get that chance, said CSU spokeswoman Colleen Bentley-Adler.

The reason for this decision -- like many others lately -- is budget cuts. The CSU system is facing the largest cuts in its history, and will lose around 13 percent of its $2.6 billion general fund. The state budget recently approved by the Legislature includes a cut of $15 million which had been marked for enrollment growth.

Immediately after reviewing legislative mandates from the 2003-04 budget bill, CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed sent a memorandum to the 23 campus presidents asking them not to exceed enrollment targets for the upcoming academic year.

That won't be a problem for HSU, which hadn't been set to receive any enrollment growth money. It's one of the few campuses whose enrollment has been below CSU targets. HSU expects to meet that target this fall, said President Rollin Richmond.

Reed, in a written statement, said legislative budget language led CSU to reduce its growth plans for 2003-2004 and plan for zero growth in 2004-2005.

"These legislative mandates not only are direct and clear, but represent wholly new expectations from those who fund public higher education," Reed said.

He added that as funding for CSU declines, the quality of education may erode if more and more students are added to the campuses.

Bentley-Adler said the campuses lost around 50,000 students during the mid-1990s recession, but enrollment has been climbing steadily since then.

More students now enter CSU right out of high school rather than transferring in, she said. At the same time, California's demographics are changing and the population of 18- to 22-year-olds is expected to grow dramatically in the near future. Bentley-Adler said CSU campuses may be more selective than they once were in which applicants they choose to admit.

Students who've already been accepted and plan to start at CSU this fall will not be turned away, she said.

Other CSU budget-related changes include larger and fewer classes, a reduction of 2,300 staff and faculty positions, a 30 percent increase in student fees, no salary increases for management employees and executives in 2003-04, and no salary increase for any employee in 2004-05.