University of California

The UC has grown its enrollment of California undergraduates by 16,000 in the last five years. University officials say they won’t be able to continue that growth if state funding is cut.

The National Institutes of Health restored a leading University of California researcher’s $36 million grant studying dementia on Friday after terminating it three weeks ago as part of the Trump administration’s DEI purge. The UC says others were restored, too.

This researcher’s project joins at least 30 others across the University of California system that have been terminated by the National Institutes of Health. Those multi-year awards were worth more than $173 million.

The suit alleges that UC officials discriminated against pro-Palestinian supporters and failed to protect them when counter-protestors attacked their encampment.

The funds, known as “indirect costs,” help universities maintain expensive labs and other infrastructure. Trump’s administration seeks to cut that funding by roughly half the current amount.

After the LA fires prompted several colleges and universities to close or move to remote operations last week, several are resuming from winter break this week with online instruction and resources for students, employees and surrounding communities.

Campus administrators have been swift in enforcing their protest rules this fall, a marked change from last spring where protest encampments grew unchecked for days or weeks. Meanwhile, students are asking courts to weigh in on policies in court.

UC Merced has fallen far short of enrollment goals, spends more to operate than other UC campuses and has had less economic impact than expected.

The University of California anticipates more than a $500 million budget gap next summer, so It’s increasing tuition by at least $3,402 for new nonresident students next fall. Meanwhile, the system is planning billions in construction projects.

The governor’s recent deal with Nvidia will boost AI education at community colleges and open the door to similar deals for public four-year universities in California. Meanwhile, computer science programs are adding AI concentrations and majors to prepare students for a range of "blue collar" and technical AI jobs.