Black Student Success Agenda | The Campaign for College Opportunity

For generations, higher education has been a critical pathway to economic mobility and civic participation for Black Americans. Yet systemic racism, rising college costs, and persistent inequities in access, retention, and completion continue to limit Black students’ opportunities to fully benefit from postsecondary education. The 2026 Black Student Success Agenda examines these structural barriers across California’s public higher education systems and outlines the urgent policy actions needed to ensure Black students can enroll, persist, and graduate at equitable rates.

The agenda presents bold, evidence-based recommendations for college and university leaders, state policymakers, and federal officials to advance Black student success from enrollment through degree completion and beyond. It highlights strategies to recruit and retain diverse faculty, strengthen transfer pathways, expand dual enrollment, address students’ basic needs, and improve campus racial climates. The agenda also calls for stronger data transparency and accountability, increased financial aid, and sustained investment in policies such as California’s Black-Serving Institution (BSI) designation to close longstanding equity gaps.

The Campaign for College Opportunity is proud to share the 2026 Black Student Success Agenda as part of our ongoing work to advance educational equity and economic opportunity. Ensuring Black students are fully supported to achieve their college goals is essential to California’s progress toward its statewide attainment goal of 70% by 2030. Advancing Black student success is not only a moral imperative-it is central to building a more inclusive democracy and a stronger, more prosperous future for all Californians.