Twenty-three Cal State University campuses are preparing to turn away as many as 20,000 qualified students because of Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed budget.

At San Jose State, the incoming freshman class could be reduced by about 10%, which means around 4000 incoming freshmen will get rejected.

"We're all about providing access, but that's going to be hurt by the budget cuts the governor's proposed," said Marshall Rose, Associate Vice President for Enrollment. "That's going to cause us to turn some students away."

Current students say California is sending out the wrong message.

"It really just cuts back on what kids can look forward to," said theater arts major Francisco Hernandez. "If they think they can't even get into college because it's so hard, they're going to be thinking, 'We can't advance in anything.'"

The budget also makes $410 million in cuts to the University of California. All non-instructional programs are affected, including administration, libraries, and outreach. Extension programs like English as a second language are being eliminated.

Thirty-percent fee hikes are also forcing many U.C.-qualified students to look to other universities. San Jose State students say that's making it tougher for everyone to get into required courses.

"You walk in and you see maybe 30 seats and maybe 70 people, so you sit on tables or on the floor for the first week or so," said Ikai Lan, a computer science major. "It's actually kind of comical."

But it won't be a laughing matter to students shut out of the schools of their choice.

"After hardships, studying hard, they are told they are declined? That's totally, totally ridiculous," said Adonis Edades, majoring in Administration of Justice.