College Beat

People walk past an “End Overdose” outreach table with informational materials and QR codes set up in a public plaza.

This new California law will offer college students rehab before discipline for overdosing

College students who seek help for substance use after an overdose face disciplinary action by their campus. A new California law, written in part by students themselves, will require public universities to offer rehabilitation services to students rather than discipline.

Alina Ta

Small bottles of a product labeled “feel free,” advertised for mood lift, energy, and focus, are displayed for sale inside a convenience store. A sign indicates the product costs $8.99 and must be purchased by customers age 21 or older.

Once given out at USC, this banned, opioid-like product is still cropping up in California

A drinkable product called Feel Free was once marketed to USC students as a wellness tonic. It contains an addictive, opioid-like ingredient called kratom leaf, now banned for sale by the California Department of Public Health but still available in many stores. A new bill in the Legislature would make the ban permanent in California.

Phoebe Huss

A person wearing a white sweater with blue stripes on the arm and a blue UCLA shirt underneath stands in a field near an apartment building, with tree branches poking into the background.

How college students can earn $10,000 for making a difference in CA communities

The popular College Corps program pays students up to $10,000 for community service work including tutoring incarcerated youth, assisting at food banks and more. The program is expanding from 45 to 52 campuses, adding hundreds of more students.

Brittany Oceguera

An illustration in green, red, blue and yellow tones that shows a desktop computer screen with an open window tab that resembles a Pokemon battle scene. At one end of the screen is a pixelated student and at the other is a wolf that represents a chatbot. The illustration includes a bubble text that reads "where can students get free food on campus?" alongside other bubbles of text with red exclamation points.

California colleges spend millions on faulty AI systems: ‘The chatbot is outdated’

Community colleges are spending millions on AI-powered chatbots that students say often give inaccurate answers. Many might see upgrades this year.

Martin Romero

Students walk and bike along a sunny path on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus, surrounded by trees and campus buildings, with a mountain visible in the background. Green banners read “CAL POLY” and “CELEBRATE DIVERSITY.”

Education

Congress is targeting these California universities in antisemitism hearings

The House Committee on Education and Workforce has included two California universities so far this year on its invite list for hearings on antisemitism. In May, the president of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, outlined several steps the university is taking in response to antisemitism complaints. The chancellor of UC Berkeley will address the committee at its next hearing.

Jeremy Garza

• July 7, 2025

A woman stands on a balcony, resting her hands on a metal railing and looking at the camera with a slight smile. She wears a dark olive-green sweatshirt with a cutout neckline and blue jeans. Behind her is a lush green tree, slightly out of focus, creating a calm and natural background.

Education

These LA community college students are getting paid to go to school. Here’s how

A pilot program by the Los Angeles Community College District pays $1,200 a month to students pursuing health fields. By helping with living expenses, the district hopes the guaranteed income will help more students complete their health care workforce development programs.

Amy Elisabeth Moore

• June 23, 2025

Education

A safety net for struggling colleges is expiring. Why the Bay Area will be hit hardest

A cost-of-living increase meant to help community colleges adjust to a new funding formula is expiring, leaving some districts to cut positions and classes.

Desmond Meagley

and

Lylah Schmedel-Permanna

• June 6, 2025

A colorful food locker station labeled “Rooted in Community!” stands against a wall inside a Contra Costa College building. The locker, decorated with illustrations of fruit, is a partnership with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. A person with a knee brace sits at a nearby table eating, while another person uses a laptop against the wall. Bulletin boards and hallway doors are visible in the background.

College Beat

5 creative ways California colleges are feeding students beyond food pantries

A majority of California’s college students experience food insecurity. Some campuses are stepping up with innovative free meal programs.

Amy Elisabeth Moore

• May 23, 2025

A small group of people stand facing each other in pairs of two as they participate in an interactive conversational exercise in an outdoor area of a college campus.

College Beat

Immigrants learn English for free at California colleges. Under Trump, some are skipping class

California's ESL courses gained 30,000 students over the past six years. As the Trump administration revokes student visas and escalates immigration raids, that growth is at risk.

Delilah Brumer

• May 20, 2025

The Campus Center of Bakersfield College on June 14, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Higher Education

More high schoolers are taking college classes — but no surprise which students benefit most

Dual enrollment courses are growing on high school and college campuses but access gaps linger, particularly for students in rural areas of California as well as for Black and Hispanic male students.

Delilah Brumer

• April 16, 2025

A person in a black hoodie and wearing a baseball cap walking by a dark college building hallway with a door open in the walkway. In the dimly lit hallway, lockers line up along the walls.

Education

Inside a $17 billion maintenance backlog plaguing California’s universities

Infrastructure issues at California’s public universities are hindering students and faculty’s ability to learn and work on campus. Lawmakers and system leaders are hoping more state support can help them bring down the $17 billion price tag to fix their academic buildings.

Victoria Mejicanos

Matthew Reagan

and

Mercy Sosa

• April 1, 2025

Three people sit on a gray couch in a room with lime green walls, various cultural decorations and gray desks. The person on the far left sits at the edge of the couch while holding an ipad with both their hands. The person in the middle looks to the person on their left and the person on the far right looks down as she hold an ipad in their hands.

College Beat

Applying for CalFresh food aid is complicated. California colleges are trying to make it easier

Across California, only one in five eligible college students receive CalFresh due to complicated requirements and an arduous application process. With two-thirds of students experiencing food insecurity, many campuses have started helping them apply for CalFresh.

Amy Elisabeth Moore

• March 26, 2025

An over-the-shoulder photo of a student protestor waving a small Mexican flag over a crowd of students protesting on a college campus. The students are standing around in a student plaza area with trees all around them as they listen to a speech,

Education

Students call on California colleges to protect campuses from immigration enforcement

After the Trump administration threw out policies dating back to 2011 limiting immigration arrests at “sensitive locations,” California colleges and universities are providing resources to support students, but can’t stop immigration enforcement from entering public spaces. Some advocates say more must be done.

Delilah Brumer

• March 19, 2025

A cubicle panel with posters hung on to it including one with the words "Dreamers Welcome!" and hand-drawn images of three people of different ethnicities plus four monarch butterflies.

College Beat

Demand for immigration legal services spikes at California colleges

California’s estimated 100,000 undocumented college students are grappling with President Trump's plans of mass deportations. Dream centers on many campuses are stepping in to provide guidance and meet the skyrocketing demand for legal services from students.

Delilah Brumer

and

Mercy Sosa

• February 3, 2025

College Beat

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