Report Making College Possible for Low-Income Students: Grant and Scholarship Aid in California By Hans Johnson Oct 15, 2014 California’s economic future depends on improving college enrollment and completion. But college costs are rising and a majority of students in California’s public K–12 schools are from low-income families. Policymakers can pursue a number of strategies to make college more affordable and accessible. This research was supported with funding from the College Access Foundation of California and the Donald Bren Foundation.
blog post Financial Aid Applications for College Increase after New Law By Jacob Jackson May 3, 2023 Under a state law that aims to ensure graduating high school seniors seek financial aid, the number of potential first-time college students applying for assistance by the UC/CSU deadline increased 12% over the prior year.
blog post College Gender Gap Starts Early and Extends across Races By Hans Johnson, Daniel Payares-Montoya, Marisol Cuellar Mejia May 23, 2023 Along every step of the educational pathway from 9th grade to college completion, women fare better than men. The college gender gap has far-reaching consequences for young men’s economic prospects, especially for those from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Community College Math in California’s New Era of Student Access By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez, Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez Dec 7, 2021 After AB 705 expanded access to courses needed for transfer, the rate of students passing introductory math shot up. Racial equity gaps in access have narrowed, but some students are still enrolling in courses that don’t count for transfer.
Fact Sheet California’s Higher Education System By Kevin Cook Jan 10, 2024 The nation’s largest public system of higher learning is in California. Nearly 80% of state students attend a public institution, with over half enrolling in community college—making transfer into a four-year college a key path to a bachelor’s degree. Funds to support higher education and financial aid account for about 7% of the state’s budget.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Improving College Access and Success through Dual Enrollment By Olga Rodriguez, Daniel Payares-Montoya, Iwunze Ugo, Niu Gao Aug 21, 2023 College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) has become the fastest growing dual enrollment option in California, giving a broad range of students access to dual enrollment and setting more students on the path to college. However, CCAP students are slightly less likely to complete milestones than other dual enrollment students.
Report College Prep for All: Will San Diego Students Meet Challenging New Graduation Requirements? By Julian Betts, Andrew C. Zau, Karen Bachofer, Sam M. Young Apr 27, 2016 Several of California’s major urban school districts have adopted ambitious new high school graduation requirements, making college preparatory coursework mandatory. This analysis—which focuses on San Diego—finds that the new requirements are likely to help many students but may damage the prospects of others. San Diego and other districts can take steps to help lower-achieving students meet the new graduation goals.
Report Higher Education in California: Expanding College Access By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Jacob Jackson, Olga Rodriguez Oct 1, 2019 Access to college is essential to California’s future growth. More California high school graduates are academically ready for college than ever before. More are applying to and enrolling in college. But many qualified applicants are still being turned away.
Fact Sheet Remedial Education in California’s Colleges and Universities By Olga Rodriguez, Jacob Jackson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Oct 26, 2017
Report Improving College Graduation Rates: A Closer Look at California State University By Kevin Cook, Jacob Jackson May 17, 2016 Low college graduation rates come at a high cost—lower salaries, lower tax revenue, and fewer college graduates in the workforce. At California State University (CSU), the nation's largest university system, graduation rates have an outsized financial and economic impact on students and the state. CSU has made strides in improving graduation rates, but there is more work to be done. The system continues to struggle with graduation gaps—underrepresented students are much less likely to complete their degree compared to their peers, and these gaps have not narrowed over time. Also, CSU's on-time (four-year) graduation rates still lag behind those of similar universities nationwide. By 2025, CSU aims to further increase graduation rates while cutting graduation gaps in half. To assist campus planning for this goal, we identify several promising programs and policies. More broadly, the CSU Chancellor's Office must work with campuses to evaluate and expand successful efforts, and the state must play a role in supporting new policies to move the needle on graduation gaps and on-time graduation.
