Report Higher Education in California: Institutional Costs By Hans Johnson, Patrick Murphy, Margaret Weston, Kevin Cook Nov 12, 2014 Over the past 20 years, in-state tuition at both the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) has more than tripled. These tuition increases have led many to believe that spending in the state’s public higher education systems is out of control. However, a closer look reveals that institutional expenditures in the two systems—including faculty salaries and benefits, the largest budget category—have not increased significantly. Our evaluation of both revenues and expenditures shows that recent tuition increases have been driven by dramatic reductions in state subsidies to UC and CSU. In the past, General Fund contributions covered the majority of educational costs. Today, students (often with help from federal, state, institutional, and private grants) pay most of these costs through tuition and associated fees. Better budget data could help policymakers monitor costs and align higher education funding with state goals. But it is clear that tuition at California’s public universities has risen much more rapidly than the cost of providing higher education.
blog post Making Progress on Connecting Student Data across California By Jacob Jackson Jan 28, 2020 A broad range of stakeholders, including PPIC, are working to create a system for linking data across the state’s public education institutions.
blog post Testimony: Enrollment Declines in California Community Colleges By Olga Rodriguez Nov 14, 2022 For a hearing of Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance, PPIC’s Olga Rodriguez presented research on pandemic-induced enrollment declines at community colleges—with the largest decreases among Asian, Black, and Latino students—and discussed strategies for boosting student access and educational attainment.
blog post College Admissions in an Era of Uncertainty By Niu Gao, Hans Johnson Jan 5, 2022 The University of California and the California State University have altered admissions policies to address some of the academic effects of the pandemic and to increase equity in access. What does the early evidence say about the impact of these changes?
blog post Extended Freeze on Student Loan Payments Could Help Many California Borrowers By Darriya Starr, Jacob Jackson Apr 19, 2022 The federal government’s moratorium on student loan payments during the COVID-19 crisis, along with plans to eliminate defaults and delinquencies, may leave many California borrowers better off than they were before the pandemic, when many struggled to make progress on their loans.
blog post Paying for Higher Education By Linda Strean Nov 17, 2014 Understanding the cost of public higher education has become more critical than ever. At a panel discussion in Sacramento, experts critiqued the way California finances colleges now and offered their own solutions.
blog post Federal Stimulus Funds Bolstered California Colleges and Universities By Kevin Cook Jun 24, 2021
blog post Improving College Placement Policies By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez Jan 3, 2017 Making assessment and placement policies more uniform across California’s community colleges could yield multiple benefits.
blog post The Promise of a Four-Year Degree in California By Kevin Cook, Jacob Jackson Sep 26, 2016 A law recently signed by Governor Brown aims to help more California State University students graduate on time.
blog post Bridging Equity Gaps in Health Career Training By Shannon McConville, Sarah Bohn, Bonnie Brooks Mar 3, 2017 Efforts that enable community college students to devote more time to their studies can help erase ethnic/racial achievement gaps.
