Many California group faculty college students aiming to switch to four-year universities face systemic obstacles, with solely a small proportion reaching their targets. A state audit discovered important limitations, particularly for Black, Hispanic, and rural college students, regardless of reforms aimed toward streamlining the method. Learn the full story.
Video Transcript
Many college students begin group faculty with the hope of getting an affiliate diploma after which transferring to a four-year establishment. The state’s larger schooling methods are designed in order that college students can spend two years at group faculty, two years at a college, after which graduate with a bachelor’s diploma.
Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority of those college students by no means accomplish their objective, a state audit discovered. Switch charges are even decrease for college students in much less prosperous components of the state, and in rural areas, and for college students who’re Black or Hispanic, in response to the audit.
The switch system is just too complicated, the audit says, and quite a few research have discovered that forms is partially in charge. Some Cal State and UC majors don’t settle for sure group faculty programs, and a few group faculties don’t supply the lessons that college students want. Even college students who meet the necessities get rejected, the audit discovered.
In 2010, California lawmakers reformed the switch course of by creating a brand new type of group faculty diploma generally known as the affiliate diploma for switch, which ensures admission to a Cal State campus. The state has additionally pushed the group faculty system to standardize the way it labels programs to make it simpler for college students to find out what they should switch. Implementing the brand new system has been sluggish, nonetheless, and it gained’t be full till 2027.
In 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom set a objective to extend the share of working-age adults with a post-secondary diploma or certificates from 55% to 70% by 2030.
And enhancing the group faculty switch system is a crucial a part of reaching that objective. Auditors advisable that group faculty campuses discover methods to extend the variety of counselors who can assist transfer-bound college students and that each one three segments of upper schooling work to enhance profitable packages, such because the affiliate diploma for switch.
With CalMatters, I’m Adam Echelman.
