Higher Education Budget

Highlights of the Governor’s May Revision to the 2020-21 Higher Education Budget Proposal

Major reassessment of funding for all systems of higher education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including cuts to enrollment funding and student equity programs.

$2 billion funding cuts to the California Community Colleges (CCC), California State University (CSU), and University of California (UC) if federal aid is not provided.

Call for higher education institutions to harness their innovative strength, expand and improve online education, and support job reskilling for underrepresented students.

Details of the Governor’s May Revision to the 2020-21 Higher Education Budget Proposal

What Remains in the Higher Education Budget Proposal

  • Financial Aid Commitment: Maintains the state’s investment in providing students with continued access to major financial aid programs.
  • Student Parents: Continue support to Cal Grant support for student parents.
  • Service-Incentive Grants: Continues support for service-incentive grants for undocumented students.
  • CCC Student-Centered Funding Formula: Continues to support the new funding formula for community colleges and extends the hold-harmless provision for an additional two years.
  • Undocumented Student Legal Support: Maintains $10 million to support legal services for immigrant students, faculty, and staff at California Community Colleges.

What has been Withdrawn from the Higher Education Budget Proposal

  • CCC Faculty Diversity: Withdraws proposal for one-time funding of $15 million for a pilot fellowship program to improve faculty diversity and $83 million in apprenticeship investments.
  • Base Funding: Withdraws UC and CSU proposals for five percent base funding increase for each system.
  • CSU and UC Degree Completion: Withdraws one-time General Fund proposals to provide $6 million to the CSU and $4 million to UC Extension Centers to support degree and certificate completion programs.
  • Cal Grant for Low-Income Students: $8.9 million cut to aid for low-income students attending private, non-profit colleges and universities by over $1000 per award.
  • Fresno DRIVE: Withdraws K-16 proposal to design educational pathways to improve social and economic mobility in the greater Fresno Region.

What is at Risk without Federal Funding Relief

  • CCC: $1.09 billion total reduction in funding without federal relief.
  • CSU: $404 million total reduction in funding without federal relief.
  • UC: $376.4 million total reduction in funding without federal relief.
  • CCC Student-Centered Funding Formula: Potential for $593 million reduction in funding without federal relief.
  • CCC Student Equity & Achievement Program: $68.8 million funding cut without federal relief.
  • Summer Financial Aid: $6 million reduction at the CSU and $4 million reduction at the UC without federal relief.

Undocumented Students

  • Maintains $10 million to support legal services for immigrant students, faculty, and staff at the CCC.
  • Dreamer Resource Liaisons: Proposes $5.8 million decrease in ongoing Prop 98 General Funding to support Dreamer Resource Liaisons.

*Partial list of 2020-21 May Revision Budget Proposal items. Click here for a complete summary.