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They took us into a room and they told us the bad news," said Hale, a graduate of Canada College in Redwood City. "It was very discouraging."

This year, the Silicon Valley university and four other California State University campuses had more applicants than spaces in every major, from philosophy to computer science. The same was true in more than 200 majors across the Cal State system -- twice as many as four years ago.

But for a generation raised on games and animated films, San Jose State's animation-illustration program has become one of the hardest to break into. It admitted only 38 percent of the animation applicants this year, including transfers and incoming freshmen. The program has about 550 students, with a target of 60 new enrollees next fall.

Hale and other transfer students needed a near-perfect 3.85 grade-point average to get in -- the toughest requirement of any major at the university. Based on the number of students it decided to admit, the university raised the standard this spring, months after students applied.

"It's strange, and it's just disappointing because we designed this program to do something great for our California students and the entertainment industry, and it's in chaos, and students can't get in," said Alice Carter, an SJSU art professor who started the animation program nearly 20 years ago.

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