re: 60% of Freshmen out-of-state; 47% of the entire student body is out of state

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is there a reason every comment is getting downvoted?

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We are assuming there is some LSU fan that has decided to downvote every post on this board

Without a doubt, it's a GREAT thing.

Let's face it--while Alabama has pockets of its population that are indeed, smart, there are just not that many 'quality' students in the state, year in and year out, to field a 'competitive' freshman class.

Here are the benefits:

Short Term:
(1) Out-Of-State Revenue
(2) Word of mouth recruiting
(3) A more diverse student body

Long Term
(1) NETWORKING
(2) Out-of-State employment recruiting
(3) Large alumni base in several industries

As a part of the new-wave of kids in 2006 that came out-of-state from Georgia, I absolutely loved that I came on campus and knew quite a few kids in the Atlanta area that came with me to the Capstone.

As an alumni, it has proved its benefit 10 fold. There isn't an industry or large city that doesn't have a big Alabama network. Want to move to Dallas? Don't know anyone? Show up to an alumni meeting and meet hundreds of people with different business backgrounds and many new friends your age.

Alabama is drawing better incoming classes every single year. The money brings new facilities, and the students improve the rank. Anything that makes my degree more worthwhile, I'm all for.

For those that argue that, "a state university should educate its own," let me tell you, the only thing that happened was that Alabama just got slightly harder to get into. In-state tuition in Alabama is such a bargain compared to what I paid, that there should be zero reason to complain.

Alabama and Auburn have a very similar relationship to our sisters of the west in Mississippi. Ole Miss is the flagship school, but draws over 50% out-of-state kids. However, Ole Miss has been doing this for years. Ole Miss never rose too far in the US News ranks because quite frankly, it stayed somewhat small and the University just isn't as resourceful as ours. BUT, and this is a big 'BUT', the Ole Miss network is by far, one of the most impressive national networks I've seen.

This year I've been all over the south and have been simply amazed how large the Ole Miss network is. It's no secret, 20 years of having over 50% out-of-state classes has worked. Ole Miss has incredibly large networks in Atlanta, Dallas, Memphis, Nashville, Birmingham, and surprisingly enough, New York City.

Ole Miss' rival in-state school, Mississippi State, is on the other end of the spectrum, even more extreme than Auburn in in-state numbers. People that go to State are from Mississippi, and it might be the least diverse crowd I've ever met. State folks are great people, but the 'diversity' is lacking. It's just one small town kid to another, and a few kids from Jackson and the coast sprinkled in.

Alabama has a better University that is 3 hours from Atlanta and Nashville, and has an 8% draw from Texas (Houston and Dallas). With a decade more of this trend, we will be looking at being one of the best Universities in the south.

I love the fact we've become a national brand, and anyone that feels that it's losing its 'in-state' touch, should reach out to the corporations in Montgomery and Birmingham, who absolutely laud the fact that their recruiting pool has grown 3X over in numbers and quality since 2002.

Before coming to Alabama, I would never have considered starting a life there. Now, if the opportunity presented itself in a city like Birmingham or Huntsville, I'd be more than happy to listen. The University doing this does so much good for the state, I can't believe anyone thinks it is a 'bad thing.'

Well, since the legislature continues to decrease its appropriations to the university (it's now down to 14%, making UA almost a "private school" in effect), it has to be a good thing.

Out-of-state students pay almost the full cost of their attendance, while the state forces the university to charge residents a subsidized rate, then refuses to provide the subsidy. (Insert comment about how stupid the legislature is here.)

From a non-financial perspective, I think it's a good thing, too. So many instate students have an exceptionally parochial outlook on everything that it can't hurt to have them be around people from different places, with different outlooks.

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Whomever it is leads a sad and miserable life.

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And has a miniscule, pathetic prick that sits atop two decrepit raisins.

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most out-of-state students I know can't wait to move back to wherever they came from (Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte typically) after graduation.

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Those do, but the ones from NJ, OH, etc., usually don't.

Like I said, it's a numbers game. LINK During the past five years, the state of Alabama has cut $1 billion from the school's appropriations. Instead of laying off employees, cutting benefits, or shrinking the size of the school - actions that would have had some pretty bad economic results for the city and state - they recruited more out-of-state students, whose higher tuition helped close the gap. They also jacked up in-state tuition, too. Of course, there's a legitimate debate to be had about how much of the student's cost of attendance should be borne by taxpayers.

That 2008-2012 span was rough for higher ed across the board, but UA was spared the carnage suffered by others. A buddy of mine works for one of the LSU satellite schools. Their budget was cut nearly 50%. They didn't replace people when they retired, they had salaries reduced and the number of classes and students assigned doubled and a host of other cutbacks that are hurting them long after the economic downturn.

UA, by comparison, didn't suffer any of that and during a period when other schools were laying off and not hiring, we were able to hire quality faculty and increase enrollment - improvements that will continue to benefit us for the long term.

Yes, the increase in out-of-state students has made admission more competitive for in-state students, but the university has also created programs to help motivated students get around those obstacles.

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"Alabama outpacing LSU on gridiron, in classroom"

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — When it comes to LSU and the University of Alabama, it’s a great rivalry on the football field. But when the stadium lights go off and the two schools are compared academically, Alabama looks to be pulling away.

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LINK ]The New Orleans Advocate - Interesting article. Ties in with what we were talking about.