PASADENA -- Graduating seniors are feeling the effects of the state budget cuts, with some students finding themselves being turned away from the state college system.

The state's Master Plan for Higher Education, established in 1960, was designed to guarantee access to high-quality public universities and colleges to all Californians. All residents in the upper one-eighth or one- third of their high school graduating classes would be offered a spot somewhere in the University of California or Cal State University systems, respectively.

UC and CSU officials last week accepted another year of cuts in return for a promise of slow and stable funding increases in years to come. This year, both systems had to turn away thousands of qualified students due to funding cuts. In addition, some students were diverted to community colleges for their first two years.

"Some of our top students have not been accepted into the UC system,' said Carlos Baldenegro, a counselor at Mark Keppel High School in the Alhambra Unified School District. "We have some students that are not accepted that are capable. They have been admitted to the other UCs, like Riverside, but they have not been accepted at Berkeley, UCLA.'

Baldenegro said many students have come to him recently, asking him to write a letter of recommendation in hopes of overturning a denial of admission.

Counselors said many students found themselves being rejected by several schools where they would have been accepted in previous years.

"There really isn't a sure bet anymore,' said Chris Saporito, head counselor at Gabrielino High School in the San Gabriel Unified School District. "A lot of seniors that thought they had a sure thing in the UC system were denied. We're definitely seeing a pattern where more of our kids are going to Cal State schools than ever before.

"We're kind of in a holding pattern here, some of our kids are still deciding whether to do the community college route. But I think the seniors this year are kind of getting in under the wire. I think it's really going to impact this year's juniors.'

Karen Favor, a guidance counselor at Blair High School in the Pasadena Unified School District, said many students who applied to Cal State Northridge have been put on a waiting list as the university gave precedence to students living in its attendance area. In years past, only a few campuses, such as San Diego State University, use d additional criteria such as residence, she said.

All three state systems are facing a tuition hike.

"The good thing is that there seems to be no real impact on financial aid,' Saporito said. "They seem to still be able to meet the kids' needs in one way, shape or from, and that was one of our biggest concerns.'

Some students, however, said they had received smaller financial aid packages than they expected, or none at all. For Blair High School senior Alexis Cosko, that means her family will end up picking up more than two-thirds of the $35,000 tuition at the private Moun t St. Mary's College.

Other students said cost was a factor in their decision to go to a community college for two years.

"Most of my friends got accepted into the UCs, but most of the students in my AP classes are going to PCC,' said Blair senior Christina Banuelos. "Some of them said it was getting very expensive at the UCs.'

Banuelos is heading to her second choice, UC Santa Barbara, after being turned away from UC San Diego.

Saporito said UC-San Diego also deferred many students to a winter acceptance in larger numbers than in past years.

"Their anxiety levels are up because especially with the deferred admission, several of my students are now seeking community college admissions for the first semester so they're not sitting idle,' Saporito said.