Press Statement: Final 2016-17 California Budget for Higher Education

New monies expand enrollment but tied to improving performance and closing gaps for underrepresented and first-generation college students

The Governor and Legislature have passed a student-centered budget for higher education that expands opportunities for more Californians to go to our public colleges and universities while expecting those colleges to improve performance.

The budget Governor Brown signed includes $145 million to boost enrollment of California students at all three of the state’s higher education institutions- the California Community Colleges, California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC). The budget includes funding to serve an additional 50,000 students at the community colleges, an additional 5,194 students at the CSU, and an additional 2,500 at the UC.

At the UC, in particular, the Governor and Legislature took strong action to open up spots for students. As a condition of the new enrollment funding, the UC is required to adopt a policy to cap the number of students it enrolls from out-of-state and abroad. It also requires the UC to supplement admissions practices to increase the number of California students it admits who are from high schools that enroll larger numbers of low-income, English learners and foster youth.