blog post High Housing Costs Hurt College Affordability By Jacob Jackson Dec 20, 2017 High housing costs play a significant role in the total price of attending college in California.
blog post Does Free Community College Grow Enrollment? By Kevin Cook Jun 2, 2016 Initial results from a Tennessee program suggest that free community college may shift enrollment, rather than increasing it.
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?
Report Expanding Enrollment Capacity at California State University By Kevin Cook, Radhika Mehlotra Aug 26, 2020 Financial constraints threaten CSU’s ability to meet the growing demand for higher education. As the governor and state policymakers contend with limited resources, prioritizing enrollment growth and capital planning at CSU will be vital to the state’s economic future.
blog post College Rankings and Social Mobility By Jacob Jackson, Courtney Lee Oct 5, 2018 California's public universities rank high in terms of social mobility—the ability to move students up the ladder of economic opportunity—a factor some are now using in evaluating a college's value.
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.
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.
blog post Testimony: Transfer Is Key to Closing the Workforce Skills Gap By Hans Johnson Mar 20, 2018 California faces a shortage of 1.1 million highly educated workers. Making transferring from community college more efficient will help.
Fact Sheet California’s Higher Education System By Kevin Cook Jan 10, 2024 The nation’s largest public system of higher learning is in California. Nearly 80% of state students attend a public institution, with over half enrolling in community college—making transfer into a four-year college a key path to a bachelor’s degree. Funds to support higher education and financial aid account for about 7% of the state’s budget.