blog post Video: Making College Possible By Linda Strean Oct 22, 2014 At a time when California’s economy needs more college graduates, a new PPIC report examines the role of grants and scholarships in making higher education both accessible and helping students graduate.
blog post How the New FAFSA Can Help Californians By Jacob Jackson Oct 22, 2015 The revamped Free Application for Federal Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) can benefit Californians in multiple ways.
blog post Tuition at CSU and UC Is Growing—but So Is Aid By Jacob Jackson Sep 28, 2023 Planned tuition increases at the state's public universities will mean higher college costs for many. But both CSU and UC are taking steps to minimize the financial impact, especially for the lowest-income families.
blog post Native American Students May Gain Better Access to UC with New Aid Program By Kevin Cook, Laura Hill May 18, 2022 Set to begin in fall 2022, a recently announced UC tuition assistance program could encourage more Native American students in California to enroll, which might improve representation at the university.
Report California’s Higher Education Funding Landscape By Kevin Cook, Jacob Jackson, Iwunze Ugo May 15, 2024 What is in store for higher education funding when pandemic supports end? A new report examines the potential near-term challenges due to a shrinking student base and massive state deficit. It also discusses how institutions are preparing for budget shortfalls, noting that higher tuition at four-year colleges could create difficulties for many students and their families.
blog post California’s Private Colleges Are Preparing for the End of Affirmative Action By Kevin Cook, Mary Severance Mar 23, 2023 The US Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling this year that declares affirmative action in college admissions unconstitutional. We talked with Kristen Soares, president of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, about the potential impact of the court’s decision.
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.
