Terry O'Brien, a spokesman for the New York State Thruway Authority, said that out-of-state applicants to that system were generally steered to an agency in their home state.

Mr. Fentress said the problem became serious at some state schools that were allowed to take few or no out-of-state applicants.

And that is on top of the disadvantage all out-of-state applicants face at a university that reserves two-thirds of its places for Michigan residents.

Many of the most prestigious public universities like Michigan and Virginia have also become much more selective, especially for out-of-state applicants.

In-state applicants are widely assumed to be less sensitive to price than out-of-state applicants.

Simmons got so much attention then that it finally had to cut off out-of-state applicants.

A much smaller group, generally out-of-state applicants, repeat takers, and December graduates, take the February exam.

Though Governor Romney has directed otherwise, some Massachusetts communities, like Springfield and Provincetown, say they plan to marry out-of-state applicants.

As of the 2012 application cycle, up to 40 out-of-state applicants will be accepted.

Since it is a public university, standards for out-of-state applicants are higher than those for in-state.