What's interesting from my perspective as the parent of a US teenager about to start senior year of high school: it's hard not to notice that schools are concurrently less and less friendly toward in-state students. They clearly enjoy those sweet out-of-state dollars. I have a friend who's daughter is captain of the gymnastics team, has a 4.something, all the STEM AP courses, and still got rejected by every UC school. The UC system might as well hang a shingle "Locals, keep out".