New monies expand enrollment but tied to improving performance and closing gaps for underrepresented and first-generation college students

The Governor and Legislature have passed a student-centered budget for higher education that expands opportunities for more Californians to go to our public colleges and universities while expecting those colleges to improve performance.

The budget signed by the Governor includes $145 million to boost enrollment of California students at all three of the state’s higher education institutions- the California Community Colleges, California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC). The budget includes funding for an additional 50,000 students at the community colleges, an additional 5,194 students at the CSU, and an additional 2,500 at the UC.

The Governor and Legislature took strong action to open up spots for students at the UC in particular. As a condition of the new enrollment funding, the UC is required to adopt a policy to cap the number of students it enrolls from out-of-state and abroad. It also requires the UC to supplement admissions practices to increase the number of California students it admits who are from high schools that enroll larger numbers of low-income, English learners and foster youth.

“California needs more students to go to college than ever before and today the Governor and Legislature took an important step by funding more spots for qualified and talented California students. This budget’s focus on ensuring underrepresented students have an equal shot at a college education means that zip code or income status will not determine any student’s fate,” said Jessie Ryan, executive vice president of the Campaign for College Opportunity.

The enacted budget also requires the state’s colleges and universities to do a better job at getting students to reach their educational goal. The budget includes a one-time allocation of $50 million to the CSU, $35 million of which will be released only after the CSU adopts a plan to improve graduation rates systemwide and by campus and sets improvement targets for underrepresented and first generation students. The budget also includes an on-going commitment of $30 million to the community colleges to improve the delivery of basic skills courses so that more students reach college level math and English and progress toward a degree, certificate or transfer.

“We should applaud the Governor and Legislature for this budget that expands access and calls for improvements in completion but we also need to keep up the pressure. When California has the most entry-level http://STEM jobs in the nation and a http://steadily growing health workforce yet it ranks near the bottom of the country in producing bachelor’s degrees in those fields, we are not done. Many more qualified students could and must be served by our public universities and until we have a statewide vision to serve them, fund their spots, and graduate them, we have work to do,” concluded Ryan.

For key highlights of the enacted 2016-17 higher education budget, click http://here.
To read the official budget documents produced by the Department of Finance, click http://here.

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About Campaign for College Opportunity:

The Campaign for College Opportunity is a California non-profit bipartisan policy and research organization focused on a single mission:  to ensure all Californians have an equal opportunity to attend and succeed in college in order to build a vibrant workforce, economy and democracy. For more information, visit www.CollegeCampaign.org / http://Facebook.com/CollegeCampaign or follow @CollegeOpp.