California Community Colleges

The state's 1960 blueprint for higher education is elitist and woefully outdated. It needs to be updated to reflect how the community college system has evolved.

The College Journalism Network brings together student journalists from across the state to collaborate on group reporting projects, pitch and write stories for CalMatters and our media partners, and receive training.

The search is underway for a new California Community Colleges chancellor. The CalMatters College Journalism Network asked students enrolled in the 1.8 million-student-strong system the qualities they believe are the most important in a chancellor.

California’s community colleges aren’t on track to reach ambitious goals of closing the gaps in graduation rates between racial and ethnic groups. Its central office leaders doubt they’ll reach those goals, including new ones laid out by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

California’s estimated 75,000 undocumented students don’t qualify for federal work-study or most job opportunities, and often struggle to make ends meet. A new state service program launched last week, College Corps, will give hundreds of them as much as $10,000 per year to perform community service in areas including K-12 education, food insecurity and climate action.

The University of California aims to ease the transition from community college to university with a new dual admission pilot program launching this spring. High school graduates will be accepted simultaneously to a community college and nearby UC, with access to libraries and counseling on the UC campus. The program, however, excludes UC’s most selective campuses.

Every California community college is working to develop the next three-year iteration of its student equity plan. We owe it to our students to develop strategies and actions that can eliminate racial disparities.

When Laura Swartzen saw the email from Sacramento State University’s Title IX office, it felt like her heart skipped a beat.  Swartzen, the Sac State confidential campus advocate, had spent the past nine months supporting a student who reported being sexually assaulted. Swartzen had listened to the student’s wrenching account, offered to connect them with […]

Free college isn’t a new idea in California. But some community colleges, facing declining enrollment, are waiving fees for more students than ever, and adding on perks like free textbooks, meals and transportation.

Despite sinking overall enrollment, some community colleges in California are seeing more students come back. Targeted state aid is likely helping, but so is more in-person instruction.