The Cal State Student Association (CSSA) and The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) examine trends in college affordability for California State University (CSU) bachelor's degree recipients compared to its original analysis published six years ago. This new report finds that in 2021-2022, nearly two in three CSU bachelor's degree…

State need-based financial aid programs are a key driver of college access and completion for lower-income students and racially marginalized students in California, most of whom attend public two- and four-year colleges and universities and come from families with annual incomes of less than $40,000. As the state's largest need-based financial…

This update to "SAT Wars" provides new evidence in the case against standardized college entry tests, including the experiences of test-optional colleges. "The Scandal of Standardized Tests" sheds significant light on key problems such as: (1) Are the tests stronger proxies for race and family income today than they were 20…

Community colleges have maintained a mission and commitment to open access. Likewise, Federal Pell Grants have historically served as a primary means for low income populations to afford higher education. Thus, community college students and Federal Pell Grants are important parts of the American higher education landscape and a mode of social and…

National and regional trends mask important variation among states in the supply of high school graduates. This profile provides brief indicators for California related to: current levels of educational attainment, projections of high school graduates into the future, and two common barriers to student access and success--insufficient academic…

The California Master Plan for Higher Education sets a policy objective of equity through access to higher education. The California State University system is California's primary institution for providing the social mobility that accompanies a four-year college degree. The purpose of this study is to examine the education lifecycle outcomes for…

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) significantly increases federal tax credits for people who pay for college education. For many families, these tax credits will offset most of the recent fee increases at University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), and the community colleges. Some students will likely be…

Echoing the words and thoughts of Thomas Jefferson, California's state constitution embraces the noblest of principles in its vision for public higher education. Over the decades, California public higher education has dominated policy discussions as a model of access and excellence and a powerful engine of economic growth. Indeed, it would be…

Stateline.org recently called this recession the worst in 50 years for state budgets. As has been the case in past economic downturns, higher education looks to be particularly hard hit. Funds from the American Recovery and Relief Act may have postponed some of the difficulty for many colleges and universities, but the outlook for public higher…

This white paper looks at the way that rising college costs are affecting California families. Higher education in California has historically been guided by the principle that maintaining affordability is paramount to providing access to all students who desire a postsecondary education. However, over recent decades, eroding state funding for…

This white paper continues the Commission's examination of how rising college costs are affecting California families. An earlier paper looked at the costs for students living on campus at the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU). Rising costs for UC and CSU have been particularly hard on middle- and lower-income…

The expansion of higher education has become a significant trend in the East Asia region, and Taiwan has proven no exception. The driving forces of higher education expansion in Taiwan include enhancing national competitiveness and human capital, responding to social and industrial needs, and reducing educational inequalities among social groups.…

This study examines the racial and ethnic distribution of the costs and benefits of higher education in California. This exploratory work documents the racial and ethnic distribution of these benefits, in the form of enrollments in different sectors and different types of institutions, as well as on the costs, in the form of the share borne by…

In response to Lee Hansen and Burton Weisbrod's study conducted over a decade ago, California policy has attempted to shift a greater portion of the burden of support for higher education from lower income families. A recent reexamination of the study by Joseph McGuire that disputes the original study is challenged. (JMD)

This is the eighth annual report on California higher education performance indicators prepared by California Postsecondary Education Commission pursuant to Assembly Bill 1808 (Hayden, Chapter 741 of the Statutes of 1991). "Performance Indicators of California Higher Education, 2001" presents background on the development and recent…