Policy Brief Policy Brief: The Future of Higher Education Enrollment in California By Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez, Mary Severance Jun 17, 2024 Higher education has long been a driver of economic mobility and well-being in California. While college enrollment and completion have long trended upward, the state population fell and higher education enrollment declined during the pandemic. How will California’s colleges and universities fare over the next two decades?
press release Many Students Will Win, Others Will Lose With ‘College Prep for All’ Policy Apr 27, 2016
blog post Dual Enrollment Can Expand Educational Opportunity By Olga Rodriguez, Niu Gao Nov 2, 2021 PPIC researchers participated in an online discussion about ways to promote an equitable expansion of dual enrollment in California community colleges, hosted by the College Futures Foundation.
Report Will California Run Out of College Graduates? By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Oct 12, 2015 California’s higher education system is a critical driver of the state’s economic progress. As the state’s economy continues to change, will its workforce be ready for the jobs of tomorrow? This report updates and extends projections of California’s workforce skills through 2030, focusing on the supply and demand for workers with a bachelor’s degree. We find that the state will fall about 1.1 million college graduates short of economic demand if current trends persist—a problem we call the workforce skills gap. Even the arrival of highly educated workers from elsewhere is unlikely to be large enough to fill this gap. Today’s college graduates have better economic outcomes than those who do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Over time, college graduates have seen lower rates of unemployment and higher wages than other workers—even through the Great Recession—suggesting that college degrees have become increasingly valuable in California’s labor market. The future workforce skills gap looms large. But California and its higher education institutions can take several practical steps to close it. The core of a new plan for higher education should include increasing access to the state’s four-year institutions, improving college completion rates, expanding transfer pathways from community colleges, and being smart about aid programs.
blog post Early Results from Education Reforms By Linda Strean May 4, 2016 PPIC researchers analyzed the early results of two reforms in K–12 education and presented their findings at a PPIC event in Sacramento last week.
blog post Testimony: The Need for College Graduates in California’s Future Economy By Hans Johnson Nov 1, 2017 California needs to enroll more students in college—especially in our four-year institutions—and ensure greater success of those already in college.
blog post Testimony: How Can California Produce More College Graduates? By Hans Johnson Feb 6, 2018 California needs to produce 1.1 million more college graduates by 2030 to meet economic demand. Here is how each university segment can help reach that goal.
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?
blog post New FAFSA Form May Trigger Drop in College Enrollment By Selina Gomez, Kevin Cook Jun 3, 2024 Amid problems with the implementation of a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), far fewer California high school graduates have completed this key step to obtaining aid. This could affect college access and affordability in the coming year, especially among low-income students and students of color.
