Report Higher Education in California: Student Costs By Jacob Jackson Nov 12, 2014 Increases in tuition across California’s public four-year universities have heightened concerns about the affordability of a college education, especially for those with the lowest incomes. In-state full tuition at the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) has risen more dramatically than at other public universities in other states over the past decade. During this same period, the federal, state, and institutional grant and scholarship programs that help make college affordable for students from lower- and middle-income families expanded. This helped lower-income families keep up with rising tuition, but the full price of college beyond tuition can still be a relatively large share of their income. Given the importance of higher education to California’s economic future, policymakers at the federal, state, and institutional levels need to make a continuing commitment to keep college affordable for students from low- and middle-income families. Also, given current tuition levels, it is more important than ever for the state to ensure that all students fill out financial aid forms and can easily access tools that can help them understand the financial aid packages they are offered.
blog post Helping Community College Students Succeed By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez, Hans Johnson Mar 29, 2019 California’s community colleges are moving toward system-wide implementation of concurrent remedial support for students in transfer-level classes. Early evidence suggests that such “co-requisite” support increases course completion.
blog post Video: Tracking Progress in Community College Access and Success By Vicki Hsieh Nov 8, 2023 Four years ago, state lawmakers dramatically broadened access to key transfer-level courses at California’s community colleges. PPIC researcher Cesar Alesi Perez presents findings from a new report on what these reforms have meant for improving student outcomes.
blog post Testimony: How Can California Produce More College Graduates? By Hans Johnson Feb 6, 2018 California needs to produce 1.1 million more college graduates by 2030 to meet economic demand. Here is how each university segment can help reach that goal.
blog post Geography of College Aid in California By Cesar Alesi Perez, Kevin Cook, Vicki Hsieh Dec 1, 2021 Completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is vital to improving college access and affordability. Yet many California high school graduates do not complete the form, with wide variation across districts.
blog post Encouraging Full-Time Enrollment to Boost College Graduation Rates By Courtney Lee Jun 15, 2018 Full-time students in California’s higher education systems are much more likely to graduate within six years than students who first enroll part time.
Fact Sheet Student Loan Debt in California By Jacob Jackson, Darriya Starr Jun 16, 2023 Student borrowing in California has declined markedly over the past decade. Borrowing rates vary across the state’s public and private institutions; undergraduates at public universities are least likely to borrow, while students who attend for-profit schools are more likely to struggle to pay off loans.
blog post College Graduates and California’s Future By Mark Baldassare, Hans Johnson Nov 16, 2017 California’s population and economy are changing, and its higher education institutions need to increase both college enrollment and completion rates.
blog post America’s College Promise: An Opportunity for California By Kevin Cook May 5, 2016 Proposals to provide free community college have clearly resonated with a broad coalition of voters, policymakers, and advocacy groups.
blog post The Pandemic’s Effect on Community College Enrollment By Jacob Jackson, Cesar Alesi Perez Oct 14, 2020 As COVID-19 began to spread this past spring, course enrollment dropped substantially at California’s community colleges, especially among African American and Native American/Alaska Native students.
