<p>I do think that one response to demographic decline is nationalizing the reach of formerly regional universities. Some of those are public (of many tiers), and some private. Certainly as you look at the schools that have moved to the Common App, this seems to be part of the impetus. University of Chicago is a great example, as is Northwestern. The push from Pitt and Alabama for a more national reach comes into play here as well.</p>
<p>CA is a different story because the public systems are such a mess. Even more so than other states.</p>