blog post A College Degree in Three Years? By Patrick Murphy, Kevin Cook Aug 3, 2015 The University of California has promised to develop three-year degree programs on each campus and enroll 5 percent of UC students by the summer of 2017. Reaching this goal will require overcoming significant obstacles.
blog post Are Enough Californians Attending UC? By Jacob Jackson May 29, 2015 Even with the influx of out-of-state students, the UC system is currently meeting the expectations of the Master Plan for admission. Is that good enough?
press release Most Want More Higher Education Funding—But Oppose Raising Student Fees or Taxes Dec 1, 2014
blog post Immigration: What’s Next in California? By Joseph Hayes, Laura Hill Nov 24, 2014 More than one million Californians could be affected by President Obama’s executive order on immigration. Knowing where qualified undocumented immigrants live is essential to realizing the potential gains both to the state and to the immigrants themselves.
blog post How Does UC Compare in Enrolling Nonresident Students? By Jacob Jackson Nov 19, 2014 Record-high numbers of out-of-state students are enrolling in the UC system. About one of every five freshmen starting at a UC campus this fall will be a student who attended high school in a state outside of California or outside of the U.S.
Report Higher Education in California: Performance Budgeting By Hans Johnson, Patrick Murphy, Margaret Weston, Kevin Cook Nov 12, 2014 As California begins to reinvest in public higher education after several years of budget cuts, it could opt to tie funding more closely with outcomes—for example, the number of students educated or degrees awarded. This approach, known as performance-based funding, has the potential to incentivize investment by the state’s higher education systems in areas that further state priorities. Drawing on California’s minimal experience with performance-based funding and the approaches other states have pursued, this report raises four important questions for the state to consider if it wants to link funding for higher education with outcomes without compromising on either quality or equity.
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.
