blog post Dual Admission Could Help More Students Transfer from Community College to State Universities By Hans Johnson Feb 19, 2021 Under a proposed dual admission program, students who enroll in a California community college would be conditionally accepted to a state university. This could expand access to a bachelor’s degree and help address equity gaps in higher education.
Report California’s Need for Skilled Workers By Sarah Bohn Sep 17, 2014 If recent trends continue, California is likely to face a shortage of workers with some college education but less than a bachelor’s degree by 2025. State and federal policymakers have increased their focus on boosting educational opportunities for this segment of the workforce. This report examines labor market outcomes among workers with some college training to shed light on the types of jobs that hold the most promise for future workers and the state economy.
press release Less than a Third of State’s 9th Graders Likely to Earn a Bachelor’s Degree Nov 27, 2017
blog post Video: Higher Education and Economic Opportunity in California By Mary Severance Nov 12, 2020 An expert panel discusses a new PPIC report on the various economic benefits of a college degree and how California might expand access and completion.
blog post The Growing Gender Divide in Higher Education By Hans Johnson Oct 4, 2016 In California and across the nation, women have surpassed men in educational attainment.
blog post Gender Imbalances in STEM Majors By Hans Johnson Jun 21, 2018 Even though women have an educational advantage over men—in California and the nation—they are underrepresented in STEM majors, earning only about 20% of statewide bachelor's degrees in engineering and computer science in 2016.
Report Measuring Institutional Costs at California’s Public Universities By Patrick Murphy, Kevin Cook, Talib Jabbar Mar 15, 2017 California has recently increased its investment in higher education after many years of reducing state support. At the same time, the state’s four-year public systems, the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU), are currently poised to raise tuition for the first time in several years. If the past is any indication, intense discussions lie ahead about the need for additional higher education resources. We offer a constructive starting point for those discussions by introducing a straightforward and objective assessment of institutional costs. We rely on a measure that connects institutional costs to the number of degrees UC and CSU produce. This measure provides a clear understanding of trends in California’s institutional costs and allows comparisons with colleges and universities in other states. It also offers higher education institutions the opportunity to demonstrate progress toward their goals in an accessible, transparent way. Applying this measure to California’s public four-year institutions, we find that: Institutional costs per degree across UC and CSU fell significantly—17 percent—from 1987 to 2013. This is an important savings in a state that will need to amp up its number of college graduates to meet future economic demand. At UC, the cost per degree fell 6 percent over the period—from $116,000 to $109,000. UC’s institutional costs in 2013 were lower than a comparison group that included both public and private institutions across the nation. But UC’s costs were higher than a national comparison group of public schools only. At CSU, the cost fell 33 percent—from $67,000 to $45,000. CSU’s 2013 costs were lower than both types of comparison groups—one that included public schools only and one that included both public and private institutions. We recommend that policymakers and higher education leaders use the cost per degree measure as a way to frame higher education finance discussions. It provides a consistent, reliable, and objective measure of institutional costs and performance. For the measure to be most effective, accurate data reporting will be essential. We also recommend the reintroduction of a state-level higher education authority to add validity to the process of gauging institutional performance. Using the measure within a larger framework of agreed-upon goals would go a long way toward improving higher education finance policy in California.
blog post Increasing On-Time Graduation Rates in Hawai‘i By Sara Adan Jun 15, 2016 California State University may be able to learn from a University of Hawai’i program to increase four-year graduation rates.
Report The Future of Higher Education Enrollment in California By Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez Jun 17, 2024 College enrollment and completion have long trended upward in California, but enrollment declined during the pandemic. What might the state’s colleges and universities expect in the future? While California’s population is expected to grow very slowly, rising rates of college readiness among high school graduates will drive increases in enrollment over the next decade.
blog post What the New College Scorecard Can—and Can’t—Tell You By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Jacob Jackson Oct 12, 2015 Californians will find the federal college scorecard useful, since the state lacks a system to track student outcomes and earnings. But there’s a lot it can’t tell you.
