Search

The Campaign for College Opportunity has always been a champion of ensuring equal and equitable treatment of all students in higher education. The Campaign for College Opportunity recognizes the value and necessity of understanding the experience of diverse learners by disaggregating data to explore trends, opportunities, and challenges. More importantly, it seeks to bring attention to the expertise, assets, and strengths of Americans from all backgrounds, while ensuring that solutions are targeted to support these same students. This is the first of four briefs within the Campaign for College Opportunity's national initiative that highlight specific practices to support American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN), Latinx, Black, Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) students more equitably. This brief is tailored and informed by experts, best practices, and an authentic commitment to ensure that all American Indian and Alaska Native students can go to college and succeed without sacrificing or leaving their cultural assets behind. [Additional funding for this series of briefs was provided by Eileen and Harold Brown.]

This brief examines how specific college affordability policies and practices at the federal, state, and institutional levels can be strengthened to close racial equity gaps in college affordability and completion and to support widespread diversity and representation in higher education. By increasing access to financial aid and shifting the way colleges and universities equitably award and disburse funds, we can leverage financial aid as a marketing, recruitment, enrollment, and retainment tool for both low-income and minoritized students, and to counteract the chilling effect of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision curtailing the use of race-conscious admissions in higher education. Socio-economic status is not a perfect proxy for race, but affordability policies are a critical lever for equity, given that Latinx, Black, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI), and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students receive multiple forms of grant aid at higher percentages than their white counterparts. The recommendations made in this paper will help close racial/ethnic and economic equity gaps in higher education without violating the SCOTUS decision. [Eileen and Harold Brown provided additional funding for this series of briefs.]

In March of 2020, the global pandemic changed nearly every aspect of daily life around the world. Colleges and universities were forced to close their physical facilities and deliver both instruction and support services online, and higher education enrollment across the country declined. In the California State University (CSU) system, following several years of rising enrollment, the number of undergraduates peaked in 2020 at 432,264 students. Enrollment then declined by about 10,000 students from fall 2020 to fall 2021, with a further decline of over 17,000 students in fall 2022, resulting in the CSU's lowest total since 2014 at 404,820. Overall, the CSU has suffered a 6.5% decline from the system's pre-pandemic total. This report summarizes data on recent changes in undergraduate enrollment in the CSU. The report finds significant, but varying, enrollment challenges across campuses and student groups. The authors explore the response to enrollment challenges at campuses that have fared better in undergraduate enrollment levels over the last few years, particularly for Latinx and Black student populations, finding that their efforts to maintain and grow their enrollment align with the CSU system's priorities under Graduation Initiative 2025 (GI 2025). The report concludes by offering several recommendations to improve state and system policies to support undergraduate enrollment and maintain the benefits to the state of higher educational attainment.

California's public higher education institutions have been crucial in positioning the state as the 5th largest economy in the world. The economic benefits of higher education include higher annual wages, lifetime earnings, and wealth accumulation for individuals, as well as higher tax revenues and lower social program costs for the state. College degree attainment is associated with better health, higher civic engagement, and stronger personal relationships, but despite evidence for these benefits, recent surveys demonstrate growing skepticism about the value of college because of affordability concerns and unclear connections to rewarding employment. These doubts, along with demographic changes leading to fewer high school graduates in some states, have likely contributed to reductions in college enrollment in recent years, a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Campaign for College Opportunity is proud to release a new publication, "Illuminating Innovations: Advancing Enrollment at California State University (CSU)," which summarizes data on recent changes in undergraduate enrollment in the CSU system and identifies significant but varying enrollment challenges across campuses and student groups. We examine responses to enrollment challenges at campuses that fared better in undergraduate enrollment levels over the last few years, particularly for Latinx and Black student populations, and find their efforts to maintain and grow their enrollments align with the CSU system's priorities under Graduation Initiative 2025. We also offer several recommendations to improve state and system policies supporting undergraduate enrollment and to maintain the benefits to California of degree attainment.

Home to the nation's largest Latinx (15 million), Asian American NHPI (almost 7 million) and the 5th largest Black (2.8 million) populations, California is the nation's most diverse and populous state. This diversity is one of the state's greatest assets, yet, representation of racially minoritized leaders in California's colleges and universities remains incredibly low in comparison to the racial composition of the student population. This executive summary provides key points from "Still Left Out: How Exclusion in California's Colleges & Universities Continues to Hurt Our Values, Students, and Democracy," which examines the issue of representation in leadership across California's public colleges and universities. [This report was written with significant contributions from Michele Siqueiros.]

This brief discusses equity-minded faculty practices and provides resources to support equity-minded faculty hiring. It focuses on the four hiring practices that have been proven to contribute in a positive way to faculty diversity, including: (1) developing equity-minded hiring criteria; (2) equity-themed cluster hiring; (3) equity-minded teaching evaluation; and (4) equity-minded interviews. Practices that can be enacted before, during, and after the search process are highlighted, including aligning institutional and departmental commitments, forming search committees that are representative of diverse constituencies, and ensuring an environment of success for new hires. [Eileen and Harold Brown provided additional funding for this series of briefs.]

On June 29, 2023, in Students for "Fair Admissions vs. Harvard" and "Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina," the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a consolidated opinion that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) violated federal non-discrimination law by considering race as one factor among many in their undergraduate admissions programs in order to promote the educational benefits of a diverse student body. Much has been written about this ruling. The purpose of this paper is to go behind the headlines to address the ruling's practical implications for higher education institutions. The aim is to highlight what is clearly permissible in light of the new admissions restrictions imposed by the court. The authors also provide an overview of enrollment strategies not addressed by the court that should be central to these higher education institutions' efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion and to mitigate the harm stemming from the ruling.[Eileen and Harold Brown provided additional funding for this series of briefs.]

Upward transfer from a community college to a four-year institution is a distinct component of higher education and has long been envisioned as an accessible and affordable route to a bachelor's degree for students who are Latinx, Black, underrepresented Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native, as well as low-income, English language learners, and from other minoritized populations. Yet, nationally, only 28% of Black adults and 21% of Latinx adults over age 25 hold a bachelor's degree, compared with 42% of white adults. Similarly, only 15% of young adults from the lowest income backgrounds complete a bachelor's degree by age 24, compared with 59% of their wealthier peers. This brief examines the community college-to-university transfer pathway and its critical role in increasing higher education equity. It reviews the major barriers created by institutional policy, ways college leaders can address these barriers to better realize the potential of transfer, and considerations for policy leaders seeking to promote equitable access to a bachelor's degree and beyond for community college students. The authors conclude with a focused look at California's associate degree for transfer (ADT), and the ways in which this new degree pathway is helping fortify the transfer pathway in the state. They then outline recommendations for policymakers at the federal, state, and institutional levels seeking to simplify transfer pathways for students in their colleges and universities. [Eileen and Harold Brown provided additional funding for this series of briefs.]

This brief is part of the Affirming Equity, Ensuring Inclusion, and Empowering Action initiative. This brief summarizes the research on dual enrollment programs--programs which allow high school students to enroll in college coursework through a partnering college or university--and offers policymakers a strategy to increase college enrollment and attainment via such efforts. Dual enrollment represents a promising lever for increasing educational equity, given its large scale and demonstrated effectiveness for increasing college access and success among its participants. Black, Latinx, and other minoritized students benefit from dual enrollment participation, yet these and other groups underrepresented in higher education often do not have meaningful access to such programs. Strong dual enrollment programs have the potential to raise college enrollment rates among high school graduates and improve college-attainment rates for students who participate. [Eileen and Harold Brown provided additional funding for this series of briefs.]

This brief is part of the Affirming Equity, Ensuring Inclusion, and Empowering Action initiative. The brief describes the emerging practice of direct admissions, including how the practice has been designed, what outcomes it has produced, and considerations for policymakers debating the implementation of a direct admissions program in their state or system. Direct admissions policies address the barriers associated with the admissions process. Direct admissions removes complexity, simplifying the college application process, saving students time and money, and eliminating barriers that disproportionately impact students from minoritized backgrounds due to unevenly distributed social and cultural capital. Direct admissions policies provide students with an early guarantee of college admission at a critical point in high school. This guarantee of acceptance signals the students' college-going potential and reduces the uncertainty and risk of applying. Direct admissions programs tell students that they are college material and that there is a place for them. This holds the potential to overcome wide racial gaps in college-going beliefs. This brief provides summaries of how Idaho, Hawai'i, and Minnesota have adopted and designed direct admissions programs for the public institutions in their states. [Eileen and Harold Brown provided additional funding for this series of briefs.]

This brief focuses on the important role that math requirements contribute to inequity in access to college, in particular the value placed on calculus, even though it is not an essential course for students who are seeking non-STEM degrees. The boost earned by students who are fortunate enough to have access to calculus, a benefit unequally distributed across our high schools, is problematic. In this paper, the authors offer alternative approaches to ensure course requirements make sense for students given their higher education goals and for limiting the impact of one math course that is not essential for all students. [This brief was co-produced by Just Equations. Eileen and Harold Brown provided additional funding for this series of briefs.]

This brief is part of the Affirming Equity, Ensuring Inclusion, and Empowering Action initiative. This brief--which draws on a thorough review of existing research, original data analysis, and conversations with institutional leaders and experts--urges college leaders and admissions officials to address longstanding inequities in college access by rethinking four policies and practices: (1) recruitment strategies; (2) demonstrated interest policies; (3) early admission deadlines; and (4) legacy admission policies. These practices too often are barriers to the economic mobility a college degree can offer. For all Americans to have access to a valuable college education, there must be a thorough review of current admissions practices and, most importantly, the courage to change them in ways that prioritize equity. [Eileen and Harold Brown provided additional funding for this series of briefs.]

This brief is part of the Affirming Equity, Ensuring Inclusion, and Empowering Action initiative. This brief is focused on holistic review, a strategy in college admissions that assesses an applicant's unique experiences alongside a range of indicators that include grades, extra curriculars, environmental context, among other factors. For admissions officers, it is a powerful tool and a fairer and more thoughtful approach to reviewing student applications and ensuring a more diverse student body. Promising policy practices in admissions can promote greater equity and access for students if admission officers and college leaders act decisively and with a commitment to a more thoughtful approach to college admissions. Colleges can use their own data to examine the disparate racial effects of their current practices and choose different enrollment policies and strategies to mitigate the effects of a ban on race-conscious admissions, in ways that are both legally permissible and more racially equitable. [Eileen and Harold Brown provided additional funding for this series of briefs.]

This report discusses the disturbing shortage of nurses and growing impact on this shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, California's nursing workforce currently does not reflect the state's diversity. Although Latinx residents account for 39% of the state's population, just 10% of California's Registered Nurses are Latinx. While California was previously on-track to meet the projected demand for nurses, conditions created by the COVID-19 global pandemic prompted a number of nurses to leave the profession--these included nurses near retirement who retired early, as well as nurses earlier in their career who opted to pursue other endeavors. Complicating matters are geographic disparities in the nursing shortages around the state. This report underscores the critical nature of the nursing pipeline given both the immediate global health crisis, as well as the larger backdrop of California's aging population. The report notes that, despite consistent increases in the number of qualified applicants to the state's nursing programs, the number of newly enrolled students has been dropping in recent years. [For the previous report, "Critical Condition: Prescriptions for Transfer Pathways in the Health Professions," see ED620773.]

In March of 2020, the COVID-19 global pandemic fundamentally altered almost all aspects of daily life as people around the world grappled with a public health emergency, as well as unprecedented economic and social consequences. COVID-19's impact on schools, colleges, and universities was far-reaching, forcing institutions to rethink their operations. The pandemic's impact on college enrollment in California was dramatic, but this impact affected students and campuses unevenly. This report provides a campus-by-campus analysis of enrollment changes from fall 2019 to fall 2021. In addition, the authors document the efforts and strategies employed by community college campuses where the loss of enrollment among Black and Latinx students over this period was kept to a minimum, in spite of nationwide and statewide trends. Through interviews with 26 education leaders across nine community colleges, the authors captured some of the strategies they put in place during the pandemic to support students enrolling and re-enrolling in college, successfully completing their coursework and making progress towards earning their degrees.

In one of the most diverse states in the nation, it is not surprising that public college students in California are incredibly diverse--71% of the student body is racially/ethnically diverse, with nearly half (45%) of students identifying as Latinx and only about one in four (23%) identifying as white. Unfortunately, that diverse representation by race/ethnicity and gender is not reflected in the decision-making bodies of the University of California (UC) Board of Regents, the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees, the California Community Colleges (CCC) Board of Governors (BOG), and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). The leaders who sit on the governing bodies of higher education systems also make critical decisions on the allocation of resources, hiring of key leadership and faculty, development of policies on admissions, academics, athletics, and more. They can help expand college opportunity or constrain it, they can ensure adequate supports for students, and they can strengthen the quality of instruction or erode it. The decisions made by these governing boards impact all aspects of students' lives. This brief provides an updated analysis of the representation on California's higher education governing boards as of September 22, 2022. The analysis reveals some highlights and lowlights when it comes to representation. [This brief is an update to the 2020 and 2018 "Left Out: California's Higher Education Governing Boards Do Not Reflect the Racial and Gender Diversity of California and Its Student Body" publications. For the 2020 report, see ED606489. For the 2018 report, see ED592846.]

California's public higher education system has catapulted the state into global leadership such that, the state is the 5th largest economy in the world today. A bachelor's degree, in particular, provides unrivaled economic and health benefits for the individual earning the degree and for the state. To better understand how California's public colleges and universities contribute to the state's success, this brief provides an introduction to higher education in California and the state budget investments and policies that shape college opportunity and success for millions of California college students. [For the 2020 edition of this report, see ED610503.]

The State of Higher Education for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Californians report provides the latest findings on college preparation, enrollment, and graduation rates of Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) students in California, disaggregated for more than 30 Asian ethnic groups to ensure a fuller picture of the success and challenges facing Asian American and NHPI Californians. The report also illuminates some of the unique challenges felt by the AANHPI community resulting from the COVID-19 global pandemic, including a 20% drop in California Community College enrollment for AANHPI students, and a 420% rise in Anti-Asian hate crimes, including those committed on college and university campuses, between 2019 and 2021. [Additional funding for this research was provided by Great Public Schools Now.]

Over the past year, the COVID-19 global pandemic has highlighted the critical role that health professionals play in our society. This report looks closely at ADT [Associate Degree for Transfer] awards in health fields and discusses practices and challenges relayed by administrators at campuses with high rates of ADT conferral and acceptance in health fields. In particular, the California Community Colleges are awarding an increasing number of ADTs in fields related to health professions each year. However, ADTs in health-related fields are still limited, and there is wide variability in how ADTs are implemented among community college campuses that are offering them. ADTs streamline the transfer process, but navigating the pathway from a community college to a four-year degree in a health or related field is still a complex endeavor for students. The development of ADT pathways requires close communication between the California Community Colleges and the California State University systems. [Elsa Macias and Audrey Dow contributed to the writing of this report.]

Ensuring equity in higher education access and success for Black and Latino Californians requires building and maintaining robust pathways from Los Angeles' high schools to its colleges and universities. In this report, the authors note that California's high schools, community colleges, and public four-year universities have increased enrollment and support for Black and Latinx students who seek associate and bachelor's degrees. However, the challenges associated with the COVID-19 global pandemic threaten to offset and undo years of improvements for California's high schools and community colleges. [This report was written with research and data assistance from David Salman. Great Public Schools Now provided support for this report.]

The value of a college degree continues to rise. A bachelor's degree in particular provides unrivaled economic and health benefits not just for the individual earning the degree, but for the entire state. Therefore, it is not surprising to see growing demand for a college education coupled with growing eligibility for California's public universities among high school students striving to attend. Unfortunately, students are being met by an increasingly competitive admissions environment and universities have responded to the growing number of applicants by raising the bar for admissions, especially as state funding to expand capacity fails to adequately fund every eligible student. While California's vision for higher education in the 1960s was revolutionary for its time, the state is in dire need of a new roadmap and vision that intentionally ensures greater access to the University of California (UC), and the California State University (CSU) for eligible students, intentionally closes the racial/ethnic gaps that persist in access and success in higher education, and ensures every Californian, regardless of race/ethnicity, zip code, or income, is given a true, equitable opportunity to go to college and cross the graduation stage. This report provides an update on California's progress and persistent challenges related to freshman access to the UC and CSU. In addition to analyzing trends in eligibility, admissions, and enrollment to the UC and CSU by race/ethnicity, the report also reviews recent policy changes and campus practices that are impacting access and success. This report concludes with a description of several national examples of ways to increase bachelor's degree capacity, and makes specific recommendations for policymakers and campus leaders toward ensuring that California can increase college access, improve college attainment and close racial/ethnic gaps to ensure individual and collective success. [Additional funding for this report was provided by the Yellow Chair Foundation. For the Executive Summary, see ED616969.]

This document provides an overview of historic policy reforms that have improved student success and close racial equity gaps in completion at California Community Colleges.

The future of California will be defined by ensuring better educational opportunity for Latinx Californians. While historic numbers of Latinx students are graduating from high school prepared for college and are enrolling in higher education, these numbers are still too low. Inequitable access to college opportunity and success in graduating with a degree is very real. Today, most high schools fail to prepare the majority of their Latinx students for college. While both access and success for Latinx students enrolling in the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) are improving, there are still disturbing gaps by race/ethnicity and gender, with Latinos attending and completing college at rates far below their Latina peers. The purpose of this report is not to simply highlight the statistics. Instead, it is to recognize that the problem has never been Latinx students or their families, but the choices made by society, institutions, and governments. This report calls on policymakers, college leaders, and the public to be intentional in demanding and removing unnecessary barriers and in providing equitable opportunities for Latinx students to succeed. [For the full report, see ED616958.]

California has long been a destination of opportunity--and challenge--for Black Californians. Known for its innovation and economic prosperity, California's higher education institutions play a critical role for social and economic mobility for Black residents. In "The State of Higher Education for Black Californians," published in February 2021, we found that Black students in California have made substantial gains. These gains include significant increases in access to college-level coursework in high schools, rising numbers of Black students taking and passing transfer-level coursework in their first year at a community college, and major growth in associate and bachelor's degrees awarded to Black Californians. While a growing number of Black Californians have a college education, however, stark gaps continue to persist. For example, 36 percent of Black men ages 25-64 have a college degree compared to 56 percent of white men. Forty-one percent of Black women have a college degree compared to 59 percent of white women, a gap of 18 percentage points. In addition, a third of all Black men and women have some college but no degree. Both the earlier report and this report find troubling gaps in access to opportunity and success in higher education for Black students with disturbing and pronounced inequities by gender. In this report, we share additional findings by gender, exploring the graduation rates among California's Black men and women in the California Community Colleges (CCC), the California State University (CSU), and the University of California (UC). [For "The State of Higher Education for Black Californians," see ED611571.]

The Atlanta massacre on March 16, 2021, spurred a series of solidarity statements with the broader Asian and Asian American1 community from higher education institutions across the nation. While many colleges and universities have expressed their grief and support with the larger Asian and Asian American community, the same institutions have yet to reflect and reckon with their own history of exclusion, which has omitted Asian and Asian American students from larger conversations of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The purposes of this brief are to name the forms of anti-Asian racism that already exist in higher education institutions and to propose a series of recommendations to address the foreseeable forms of overt and covert anti-Asian violence that may occur when students return to campuses in fall 2021 and beyond. We recommend that institutions of higher education: create effectual task forces to think strategically about racism and xenophobia towards Asian and Asian American students; increase funding for ethnic studies, specifically, Asian American Studies Departments, Programs, and Centers; and collect and report disaggregated data on diverse subgroups of Asian and Asian American students.

The California Community Colleges (CCC) are central to the economic strength and social mobility of California and its residents. They serve the majority of undergraduates in California. Each year, over 2 million students attend one of the 116 community colleges across the state, including the online campus--Cal Bright. Like "Chutes and Ladders" players, California community college students who want to transfer to a four-year college or university are trying to make progress, but one bad roll of the dice can set them back several turns. This executive summary for the report "Chutes or Ladders? Strengthening California Community College Transfer so More Students Earn the Degrees They Seek" highlights how the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) is improving the transfer pathway, as well as possible improvements and room for growth. [For the full report, see ED613728.]

In the classic game of "Chutes and Ladders," the player can see square 100--the finish line--but it is not easy to get there. The player may climb one ladder only to land on the wrong spot and be sent spiraling down a chute. In the game, players are aiming for the blue ribbon on square 100, but for students enrolling in college, the prize is a bachelor's degree, and the key number is the 120 credits needed to get there. Like "Chutes and Ladders" players, California community college students who want to transfer to a four-year college or university are trying to make progress, but one bad roll of the dice can set them back several turns. The California Community Colleges (CCC) are central to the economic strength and social mobility of California and its residents. They serve the majority of undergraduates in California. Each year, over 2 million students attend one of the 116 community colleges across the state, including the online campus--Cal Bright. In 2019-2020, these students included almost a half million first-time freshmen seeking to earn an associate degree and/or transfer to a four-year university. Unfortunately, if past data trends persist, only 2.5 percent of them will transfer in two years, and fewer than a quarter (23 percent) will transfer in four. In this report, we examine the ways in which the transfer pathway is central to remedying racial inequity in higher education access and success and to producing the educated workforce California needs. We document the impact of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) on improving the transfer pathway--the extent of its reach, notable variance by students' race/ethnicity, and differences in access by college campus and major, both at California's community colleges and at the state's four-year universities. Finally, we offer recommendations to policymakers and campus leaders for removing remaining obstacles for students in the transfer process and for strengthening the ADT pathway and ensuring it becomes the preferred degree pathway for California's transfer students. [This report was written with guidance and significant contributions from Michele Siqueiros. For the executive summary, see ED613824.]

The most significant investment California made in the 1960s was the creation of, arguably, the best public higher education system in the world. The 1965 Master Plan for Higher Education created a three-tiered system of higher education that provided a place in college for any Californian seeking the opportunity. From research universities to accessible four-year public state universities and community colleges, the Master Plan for Higher Education catapulted California into world leadership in gross domestic product such that today, the state is the 5th largest economy in the world. While revolutionary for its time, the design of the Master Plan no longer reflects the economic and workforce demands of the state and has led to uneven degree attainment and income inequality across the state. Today, California needs additional college graduates and a more ambitious Master Plan to help us meet the economic imperatives of the next decade. If California is to remain competitive, maintain an economic standing as the fifth largest economy in the world, and meet workforce demand, the state must ensure that college preparation and opportunity are provided in a more equitable way, and we must close racial/ethnic gaps in college attainment while ensuring that 60 percent of residents in every racial/ethnic group hold a college credential by 2030. If we do not take action, by 2030, we estimate only 32.5 percent of the state's Latinx workforce will have a degree or high-value credential. This is barely half of the 60 percent goal articulated above. Ensuring that at least 60 percent of the state's workforce holds a college credential, and that at least 60 percent of the state's Latinx, Black, and American Indian/Alaska Native residents hold a college credential will generate an additional 2.5 million credentials over the coming decade. Moving from a 32.5 percent college attainment rate among Latinx Californians in the workforce to a 60 percent college attainment would result in 1.26 million additional Bachelor's degrees and 1.16 million additional Associate's degrees and certificates for the state's Latinx residents alone. [Written with contributions from Michele Siqueiros.]

The State of Higher Education for Black Californians is the first in the Campaign for College Opportunity's series of reports on the current state of college access and completion for California's Black; Latinx; and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders. The state of higher education reports also discuss the implications of educational inequity for the state and its economy. This report analyzes the state of Black Californians in education. Specifically, this report reviews data related to preparation, enrollment, and success in college for Black Californians. It also recommends actions that our policymakers and college leaders can take in order to ensure college opportunity for Black students. This report on Black Californians is the first in the 2021 State of Higher Education in California series. [Foreword by J. Luke Wood. Additional funding provided by the Yellow Chair Foundation.]

Each year, the state of California spends billions of dollars on funding for the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), and California Community Colleges (CCC). Those dollars are invested to ensure all California residents have an opportunity to gain the skills and education they need to participate in and advance the state's workforce and economy. Except, higher education investment does not fall equitably across racial/ethnic groups. In fact, when you follow the money, Black students are systematically underinvested in by the state when it comes to higher education funding, perpetuating economic inequity for Black Californians and the maintenance of a permanent underclass. Systematic underinvestment in Black degree attainment did not happen by accident. Underinvestment and a lack of support for Black students to both pursue and graduate with a college degree has been reinforced by a fundamentally discriminatory funding model and higher education structure that disadvantages Black Californians. It is time for our state leaders to take responsibility for this racist funding structure and take urgent action to equitize funding so that Black students can thrive and have the same opportunities afforded to other Californians. This brief measures the disparate student funding by race and ethnicity in California with the goal of addressing structural inequities that result in a system of higher education that spends less on its African-American/Black and Latinx students than their White peers. [Additional collaborators of the brief include A[superscript 2]MEND: African American Male Education Network & Development, the Black Think Tank, and Umoja Community.]

With the philanthropic support of the Art for Justice Fund and Michelson 20MM Foundation, the Campaign for College Opportunity produced this research brief that provides an overview of the current state of higher education for currently and formerly incarcerated students. This brief provides descriptive demographics on California's incarcerated and paroled populations, a policy landscape analysis detailing the environment in which higher education is made accessible to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, and the voices of formerly incarcerated students from all three segments of California's public higher education system describing the barriers and opportunities they encounter in California's public colleges and universities. Finally, the brief includes a series of recommendations for campuses and California to dismantle post-incarceration barriers and create more opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students to improve their lives and the economic health of California. [Funding for this report was provided by the Art for Justice Fund and the Michelson 20MM Foundation.]

In a year that has upended higher education and created great uncertainty, it is more important than ever for students to understand which colleges payoff and how quickly. In April of 2020, Third Way released a report outlining the use of a Price-to-Earnings Premium (PEP) to evaluate the value of attending college and help students assess and compare the economic payoffs of attending a given college. Nationally, Third Way found that 86 percent of public colleges and universities achieved a return on investment for students within five years. In other words, it absolutely paid off to attend these campuses and did so quite quickly. Unfortunately, and raising grave concern, more than half of for-profit institutions do not exhibit a return on their investment, even 25 years after graduation. In too many instances, these colleges cost students' significant amounts of money, and yet never produced a return on that investment -- essentially leaving students worse off than had they never attended. In this brief, the Campaign for College Opportunity and Third Way examine these trends for California. Applying the same methodology employed for the national report, we find that about two-thirds of California's colleges and universities allow students to recoup the cost of their degree within five years. This state-wide average, however, masks substantial variation among public community colleges and public, private and for-profit universities. Students at nine out of ten public colleges and universities in California recoup their cost within five years, as do roughly half of students at independent non-profit colleges and universities. This is true for only three in ten private for-profit colleges and universities. Where one enrolls in college matters, not just in terms of cost, it matters in terms of value and long-term benefit. It is clear by the analysis in this report that California's public community colleges and public universities, overwhelmingly provide a significant return on investment to students who attend them. [This report was produced in collaboration with Third Way.]

Attending college without working is a luxury most California community college students do not have. In fact, nationally, 80 percent of today's community college students work while going to class (39 percent of them work full-time), with many balancing their role as a primary source of income for their family and caring for young children. Jobs provide experience that prepare college students for their professional careers, but in many cases, work is an absolute necessity for students. And while working a moderate number of hours while in school has been associated with higher achievement, working too many hours can threaten degree completion. The US Department of Education notes that, "Work-study is a way for students to earn money to pay for school through part-time on- (and sometimes off-) campus jobs. The program gives students an opportunity to gain valuable work experience while pursuing a college degree." This is good news for students able to access federal work-study, but not all community colleges participate in the Federal work-study (FWS) program. This brief provides an overview of the federal work-study opportunities and challenges in California's community colleges. FWS can be beneficial in meeting the needs of today's students, but community college students are disadvantaged when it comes to receiving FWS dollars compared to their peers at other institutions, and there is wide variation in the amount of FWS aid available from college to college.

Since the Spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of billions of people worldwide. Seemingly overnight, colleges and universities transitioned their entire operations online. There is no playbook for how to best respond to this global pandemic. While it is virtually impossible to predict the lasting impact that COVID-19 will have on students and the state of California, it is imperative to collectively ensure vulnerable students do not fall off their college pathways and that state leaders understand that investing in higher education is critical, especially in times of crisis. This publication provides a summary of higher education in California with specific information on enrollment, tuition/fees and financial aid, governance, and state funding in our public community colleges and universities. Recommendations for how to strengthen college opportunity and student success are also offered. [For the 2018 edition of this report, see ED596519.]

Transfer from California's community colleges to its public universities has long been central to the state's higher education system. Though most of the 2.2 million community college students intend to transfer, fewer than half do so within six years of their initial enrollment. A low transfer rate is bad news for California. The state's economy needs 1.65 million more college degrees and credentials by 2030 in order to meet workforce demand, and 70 percent of all college students in California attend a community college. Most of those students are Latinx, Black, and students from several Asian subgroups. If the majority of students in college in California are in our community colleges and the majority of those students belong to racial/ethnic groups with low bachelor's degree attainment, then improving transfer is key to producing the bachelor's degrees the state needs. That is why in 2010, the Campaign for College Opportunity sponsored historic legislation to create the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) and significantly increase the number of students who transfer with a degree in hand and earn junior standing at the California State University (CSU). Community college students earn an ADT after taking 60 semester/90 quarter units consisting of general education courses and courses in an academic major. This degree guarantees junior standing at a CSU campus, meaning students can complete their bachelor's degree within two years of transfer. The guarantees built into the ADT are not afforded to students who earn local Associate of Art or Associate of Science (AA/AS) degrees. This report highlights ADT data, and provides recommendations for a new vision for strengthening transfer for California community college students that ensures the ADT is the preferred transfer pathway.

The University of California (UC) Board of Regents, the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees, the California Community Colleges (CCC) Board of Governors, and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) are responsible for selecting college and university chancellors and presidents. They also set policies on academics, admissions, finances, faculty, and campus planning. The decisions made by these governing boards impact all aspects of students' lives. Governing board members must be unyielding in their devotion to high quality and innovative public higher education that is accessible, affordable, and eliminates racial/ethnic inequality so that the diverse state can thrive. The Governor appoints the majority of members to these governing boards, and Governor Gavin Newsom will have the opportunity to appoint 23 key leaders to these bodies during his first term in office. If reelected, he will have 32 additional appointments to make. When the Governor makes appointments that are inclusive of women and people of color, students see themselves reflected in their college and university leaders, they know they belong, and the state can move toward improving student success. This brief provides an analysis of the representation on California's higher education governing boards as of May 20, 2020 with attention to the eleven appointments made by Governor Newsom during his first 15 months in office. The analysis reveals some "Bright Spots of Inclusion" and continued "Challenges to Inclusivity." It is also an update to the 2018 "Left Out: California's Higher Education Governing Boards Do Not Reflect the Racial and Gender Diversity of California and Its Student Body." [For the 2018 report, see ED592846.]

The COVID-19 health crisis has laid bare the structural inequity in the financial aid system. The pandemic has hit the lowest-income students hardest, with many struggling to afford the basic technology for online learning on top of new or exacerbated food and housing insecurity. Federal and state dollars predicated on Pell Grant eligibility, time out of high school, or other criteria, means California's neediest students, most often California Community College students, are ineligible for the aid they need to study and survive. College affordability is a critical subject of national, state, and local interest. While student debt has understandably become a focus in many of these conversations, this analysis has been centered around the potential expansion of grant aid that can help more students better afford college without overreliance on loans or credit cards. The time to complete a program is also a major factor in the costs borne by students to earn a certificate or degree. The Campaign has previously published research on how unclear, inconsistent pathways and excess course-taking translates into additional costs for transfer students seeking baccalaureate degrees and unpacked those issues in a 2017 report, "The Transfer Maze" (ED582668). In this brief, the aim is to provide California policymakers with a picture of the gaps in the state's efforts on college affordability and inform the work ahead so the state can better serve all its students and so that money is not a barrier for students to earn their degrees.

Community colleges play a critical role in providing access to higher education for over two million Californians seeking an educational foundation that will prepare them to transfer to a four-year university or to participate in the workforce. However, community colleges have not always delivered on that promise--fewer than half of students who enroll in a California Community College will complete an associate's degree, certificate, or transfer within six years. Enter Guided Pathways. Guided Pathways is a response to this cafeteria-style model. Guided Pathways is about fundamentally redesigning college campuses to provide structure and direction for students by organizing courses, programs, services, and supports into clear pathways that help students meet their educational goals. In 2016, the American Association of Community Colleges selected 30 institutions across 17 states to explore and implement Guided Pathways reforms in order to address attainment and other issues they might be facing. Three community colleges in California were selected as part of the initial pathways project: (1) Bakersfield College; (2) Irvine Valley College; and (3) Mt. San Antonio College. While each college has taken a different approach to implementing Guided Pathways, specifically tailored to their college's needs, they are all approaching this endeavor to rethink student success. The profiles in this report illustrate why each college decided to implement Guided Pathways, steps they took to gain broad-based support on campus for Guided Pathways, how they are redesigning their college, and the initial results they are observing.

A new law, Assembly Bill 705 (Irwin), is driving dramatic changes to how the California Community Colleges place students into English and math courses. In fall 2019, AB 705 began requiring the colleges to use students' high school grades as the primary means of placement; restricting colleges from denying students access to transferable college-level courses; and giving students the right to begin in courses where they have the best chance of completing the English and math requirements for a bachelor's degree. This report--a collaboration between the Campaign for College Opportunity and the California Acceleration Project--analyzes early AB 705 implementation efforts across California's community college system. It is a follow-up to the regional analysis of 47 colleges in the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, and greater Los Angeles that was published in September 2019. This report examines fall course schedules and websites from 114 of the state's community colleges to identify bright spots and problems in implementation, with particular focus on the extent to which college course offerings are aligned with the AB 705 standard of "maximizing" student completion of transfer-level English and math courses. The report includes findings from an examination of the websites of a subset of colleges to analyze the messages students are receiving about placement when a substantial number of remedial sections remain on the schedule. The analysis reveals that colleges have approximately doubled the proportion of transfer-level classes they offer. There also has been dramatic growth in the number of colleges offering corequisite remediation--that is, curricular models in which students receive additional support while enrolled in transferable college-level classes. Despite this progress, the report identifies several areas of weak implementation that will need further attention from the colleges, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (Chancellor's Office), and possibly the State Legislature. [The Campaign for College Opportunity commissioned the California Acceleration Project (CAP) to conduct this analysis. For "Getting There: Are California Community Colleges Maximizing Student Completion of Transfer-Level Math and English? A Regional Progress Report on Implementation of AB 705," see ED598343.]

A new law, Assembly Bill 705 (Irwin), is driving dramatic changes in how California Community Colleges place students into English and math courses. Beginning in fall 2019, AB 705 requires the colleges to use students' high school grades as the primary means of placement; restricts colleges from denying students access to transferable, college-level courses; and gives students the right to begin in courses where they have the best chance of completing the English and math requirements for a bachelor's degree. This report analyzes early AB 705 implementation efforts at 47 community colleges in the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, and greater Los Angeles. We examine fall course schedules and websites to identify bright spots and problems in implementation, with particular focus on the extent to which college course offerings are aligned with the AB 705 standard of "maximizing" student completion of transfer-level math and English courses. [The Campaign for College Opportunity commissioned the California Acceleration Project (CAP) to conduct this analysis.]

The State of Higher Education in California is a series of reports by the Campaign for College Opportunity that provide comprehensive data on the current state of college access and completion for our state and what it means for our economy. This report analyzes the state of Black Californians in education. Specifically, this report reviews preparation, enrollment, and success in college for Black Californians. It also recommends actions that our policymakers and college leaders can take in order to improve college enrollment and graduation rates. This report on Black Californians is the second in the 2018-19 State of Higher Education in California series. [Additional contributions to this report were made by Audrey Dow. Additional funding for this report was provided by the Mayer & Morris Kaplan Family Foundation.]

College opportunity is key to ensuring that California can meet its economic goals, maintain its global standing, and keep up with technological advances. As California's economy becomes increasingly reliant on a better-educated workforce and further connected to a global marketplace for its services and products, immigrant students are poised to make major contributions to future growth. Nearly 27 percent (three million) of the United States' undocumented immigrants reside in California. Among this diverse population of undocumented immigrants, however, few adults have a college degree. Conservative estimates find that between 64,000 and 86,000 undocumented students are enrolled in California's public higher education systems. This brief has information on California's undocumented residents, public policies that have shaped the current state of college opportunity for undocumented students, and the key findings from conversations with undocumented students regarding financial aid, campus resources, legal services, and more. [Extensive contributions by Leticia Tomas Bustillos. Additional contributors to this brief include Jake Brymner, Sasha Perez, and Linda Vasquez. Additional funding from The Morris and Mayer Kaplan Family Foundation.]

With over 37 million residents, California is the most populous state in the country. California's primary and secondary schools enroll over 6.2 million students,1 and there are 3.4 million undergraduates attending 683 postsecondary institutions in California. Yet, because of the lack of a strong data infrastructure, we are unable to answer basic questions about student progress and completion. To improve educational outcomes and meet future workforce demand, California must establish a longitudinal data system that can answer the following critical questions about student pathways and outcomes. This publication is part of "Our California: A Call to Action and Blueprint to Increase College Graduates and Keep Our Economy Strong", which calls upon our Governor to make the necessary investments and implement bold reforms to California's higher education to ensure that our students and our state thrive.

The State of Higher Education in California is a series of reports by the Campaign for College Opportunity that provide comprehensive data on the current state of college access and completion for our state and what it means for our economy. This report analyzes the state of Latinx in California education. Specifically, this report reviews preparation, enrollment, and success in college for Latinx Californians. It also recommends actions that our policymakers and college leaders can take in order to improve college enrollment and graduation rates. This report on Latinx is the first in the 2018-19 State of Higher Education in California series. [Additional funding for this report was provided by the Mayer & Morris Kaplan Family Foundation.]

California has long been a global leader in higher education, innovation, and workforce development. The economy is the fifth-largest in the world. But, without a more educated workforce, its global economic standing will decline. As California's economy becomes both increasingly reliant on a better educated workforce and further connected to a global marketplace for its services and products, immigrant students that are bi-cultural and highly talented stand to be major contributors to future growth. Nearly 27 percent of the United States' (three million) undocumented immigrants reside in California. Among this diverse population of undocumented immigrants, few adults have a college degree. The opportunity to target supports to undocumented immigrants to bring their educational attainment to par with similar communities across the country provides California with an obvious place to begin addressing its skilled workforce gap. Undocumented students are not given sufficient access to financial resources to allow them to attend and succeed in college, which undermines the investments made to supporting the entire educational pipeline. Financial aid opportunities for undocumented students are complex and often difficult to understand. Most financial aid for college comes from the federal government, in the form of grants (Pell Grant) and federal student loans. However, undocumented students do not qualify for federal financial aid, thus making the ability to pay for college a significant obstacle. At a time of unprecedented, daily challenges to undocumented students from the national political climate, it is critical that state policymakers continue to build upon the supports California has developed. Undocumented students are part of California's identity and deserve the same chance to pursue their college dreams that their peers enjoy. When California faces such a stark gap in the educated workforce needed to maintain its economic dynamism, the reality is that the state must develop and foster the talent of all its students. Supporting undocumented students reinforces both California's economy and its values.

In the next four years, the Governor of California will have the opportunity to appoint more than 40 key leaders to California's higher education governing boards. These individuals will shape higher education in the state for years to come by hiring leaders and adopting policies that directly affect students' ability to succeed. The University of California (UC) Board of Regents, California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees, the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) are responsible for appointing college and university Chancellors and Presidents, and setting policies on academics, admissions, finances, faculty, and campus planning. The decisions made by these governing boards impact all aspects of students' lives. California's Governor appoints most of the members to these governing boards. This brief provides an analysis of the recent appointments made to California's governing boards while highlighting some bright spots of and challenges to inclusivity. It concludes with recommendations for California's Governor and State Legislature. [This brief is an update to the report, "Left Out: How Exclusion in California's Colleges and Universities Hurts Our Values, Our Students, and Our Economy" (ED582669).]

California's public colleges and universities are among the best, from the talent evident in the students to the groundbreaking research conducted by world-renowned faculty. They are also some of the most diverse in the nation. Left out from serving in vital positions of leadership, however, is a proportional representation of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), and Latinx. Students from these groups are the new majority attending our colleges and universities but experienced and credentialed professionals from these same groups are distinctly underrepresented when it comes to holding faculty and leadership positions in California's public colleges and universities. "Left Out: How Exclusion in California's Colleges and Universities Hurts Our Values, Our Students, and Our Economy" recognizes that a more culturally competent workforce is essential to meet the needs of California's future economy. The University of California (UC), the California State University (CSU), and the California Community Colleges (CCC) will be required to educate and produce the workforce of tomorrow. The challenge for higher education is having the capacity, the internal competence, and the commitment to produce a college-educated workforce that is representative of the state's population diversity when their own leadership and faculty ranks are far from diverse. [This report was written with extensive contributions by Abigail Bates.]

The California higher education system has not kept pace with changing workforce demands or the needs of California's racially diverse population. Fewer than half of adults in California have a college credential but by 2030, 60% will need a college education to meet workforce demand and racial equity gaps will need to be entirely eliminated. In the next 12 years, California will need to produce 1.65 million more college credentials and we are not on track to get there. The 2018 California Higher Education Report Card is a snapshot of California's performance in college preparation, access, affordability and completion today compared to where we need to be in 2030. The grades reflect progress toward a 60% college attainment goal and progress toward eliminating the racial equity gaps by 2030.

This publication is an overview of Higher Education in California to provide readers with a deeper understanding about how the public systems work. The primer outlines the mission, enrollment, cost of attendance, and governance and funding structure of each of California's public higher education systems. This resource also provides critical facts about the current state of higher education and California's workforce and the importance of investing in higher education. Finally, the document outlines some solutions that will be necessary to preserve access and increase student success and provide the educated workforce the state requires.

In the coming years, California will need a growing supply of educated workers to meet the demands of a dynamic state economy, and this supply will must come from populations that have historically been underrepresented in higher education. The higher education sector will need strong state policy leadership focused on the long-term success of the state to overcome difficult demographic, economic, and political challenges on the horizon. The development of a new coordinating body given the proper authority and resources could provide the essential leadership necessary to confront these challenges and help secure the future prosperity of the state. The new coordinating body has the potential to maximize state investments by creating more efficient and effective higher education systems focused on achieving outcomes such as ensuring affordable access to postsecondary education, increasing educational attainment, closing equity gaps, and meeting workforce demands. Designating an entity with the responsibility to develop and provide leadership in implementing a long-term strategy to improve postsecondary education attainment and outcomes is a nationally recognized best practice in state higher education policy. [This publication is part of "Our California: A Call to Action and Blueprint to Increase College Graduates and Keep Our Economy Strong," which calls upon the Governor of California to make the necessary investments and implement bold reforms to California's higher education to ensure that our students and our state thrive.]