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California colleges spend millions on faulty AI systems: ‘The chatbot is outdated’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

Three young adults sit on front of a white table while looking down at their phones or paperwork. A fifth yound adult stands at the end of the table while speaking and holdinga small stack papers.

Education

Does lobbying at the Capitol work? These UC students say yes, and they’ve got receipts

Over 250 college students spent a day lobbying at the California Capitol recently, holding over 100 meetings with state leaders and their staff. The students are backing several bills aimed at increasing basic needs support, including one to streamline CalFresh applications and another to reform the process for building student housing. They also are leading the push to add more student voting power to the UC Board of Regents.

Khadeejah Khan

• March 24, 2026

A bearded person wearing a black “Chico State” T-shirt and cap sits on a low concrete planter holding papers, posed in a courtyard framed by tall concrete columns and rows of windows, with a library entrance visible behind them and a few people walking through the background.

Education

1 in 10 Cal State students face homelessness. This emergency housing program helps

California spent $31 million last year helping students facing homelessness with emergency housing and other services through Rapid Rehousing. The program operates at most public universities and about a quarter of community colleges, helping thousands of students who are either homeless or housing insecure, such as one student who was sleeping in a garage.

Khadeejah Khan

• February 24, 2026

The front door of a police deparment's building. The door includes the words "police department" along with the seal of the University of California police.

Education

Overtime pay and night vision binoculars: UC San Diego is among agencies helping patrol border

Local police forces get money every year from the Department of Homeland Security to assist with border patrol operations. This includes the UC San Diego Police Department, which helps monitor for smuggling along the coastline.

Phoebe Huss

• February 10, 2026

People wearing black cap and gowns with red, green and white colored sashes stand in front of chairs during a graduation ceremony in font of attendees in an arena.

Education

More Latino students are attending Cal State. But where are the Latino professors?

Faculty representation at Cal State is lagging far behind the growing number of Latino students. That burdens the small circles of Latino faculty who take on more mentorship tasks, many times in non-tenure positions and for lower pay.

Angel Corzo

and

Brittany Oceguera

• January 8, 2026

A person is sitting inside a gym room that is darkly lit with a ray of light landing on the back of the person sitting. The person is facing away from the frame with his back lit up by light from the sun shining through the gym, with the word “Columbia” written on the back of a black sweatshirt.

Education

California schools that need foreign workers for teacher jobs can’t afford Trump’s new visa fee

The Trump administration is now requiring new H-1B visa applicants to pay $100,000. School districts that depend on hiring foreign workers to fill teacher jobs, especially in special education and bilingual education, say they can’t afford the new fee.

Sophie Sullivan

and

Alina Ta

• December 12, 2025

A person stands in a wooded outdoor area with tall trees behind them, wearing a light ribbed turtleneck, a dark jacket, and a backpack strap over one shoulder. They look off to the side with a serious expression. A small building with colorful mural panels is visible in the background.

Education

Fewer international students are coming to the U.S. What this means for California

The number of new international students enrolling in college in the U.S. is dropping. Their losses will be felt beyond classrooms, as foreign students in particular drive scientific research and advancement. As the state with the most international students, California will likely feel the biggest impact.

Aliza Imran

and

Kahani Malhotra

• December 1, 2025

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