Mills College, the small, liberal arts school for women in Oakland, is keeping its admissions doors open longer than usual this spring in hopes of luring students who may get shut out of the financially strapped state colleges and universities.

Officials at the 1,200-student college sent notices to 500 California high schools this week announcing that a March 1 application deadline would be extended for women seeking admission as freshmen this fall.

In a letter to high school counselors, Mills officials said they want to "assist California women who have been unable to access public higher education in the state."

"There are students out there who only applied to state schools and may be in a bind," said Joan Jaffe, Mills' associate dean of admission. "We really wanted them to know that they can still access a four-year higher education in California."

This year is proving to be tough for the state's four-year public institutions, the University of California and California State University, and the students vying for acceptance.

Both systems - at the behest of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget writers - are slashing freshman enrollment by 10 percent by redirecting otherwise qualified applicants to community colleges for two years and offering slots as junior transfer students.

UC and CSU officials are skeptical they can divert as many students to community colleges as Schwarzenegger has proposed. Mills officials say they want to accommodate those students who prefer a four-year institution over a two-year junior college.

Mills - where tuition and other fees run slightly over $25,000 this year - appears to be the only private college in the state that has adjusted its admissions deadlines. Other private schools, such as Claremont McKenna College in Southern California and University of the Pacific in Stockton, have had large spikes in applicants for fall and aren't able to consider more students.

"We didn't do anything differently to reach out to students or set up any new recruitment efforts," said Richard Vos, dean of admission and financial aid at Claremont McKenna, where applications jumped 22 percent over last year. "I just think a lot more California students this year have opted to apply to more private colleges and universities than in prior years to hedge their bets."

At UOP, applications have increased for the third year in a row, a phenomenon driven more by targeting students who are most likely to enroll, officials there said.

"We are definitely in the 'there's no room at the inn' mode," said Tom Rajala, associate provost for enrollment at UOP. "But we don't think the state budget has much to do with our growth in particular. Certainly, the chaotic state of affairs at UC and CSU could be pushing more people in the direction of the private institutions."

Mills received its typical number of applicants for fall admissions - between 800 and 1,000 - but could still accommodate another 100, according to Jaffe.

Offering an alternative is worthy, even if it's only for 100 students and meant to benefit Mills' enrollment numbers, said Patrick Callan, president of the San Jose-based National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

"It's why having a strong public and private university sector is so important," Callan said. "When one is down like the public sector is right now, the other can step in. It's good for California."

Callan said he worries that private colleges such as Mills could actually become less inclined to recruit California students if Schwarzenegger's proposal to slash the state's financial aid program is approved by lawmakers.

The governor wants to reduce Cal Grant awards for students who attend private schools from $9,708 to just over $5,000.

At Mills, 80 percent of the student body receives financial aid. Most aid, said Jaffe, comes from the school itself.

"There is funding for private education," Jaffe said. "People shouldn't assume that they can't afford it."