Higher Education
Policy & Research

Higher education has never been more critical to economic opportunity and mobility. But inequitable student support at colleges and universities, lack of coordination between education systems, and increasing costs threaten to lock a generation of California students who are already underrepresented in higher education out of that opportunity. California has made significant progress towards expanding equity and opportunities in higher education. The state has worked to help students enter higher education, eased the transfer process between schools and systems, and centered community college funding around supporting students’ needs. While these policy changes have helped to expand access, students of color and students from low-income families still face barriers within the California State University and University of California system, and our state’s colleges and universities at all levels can do much more to retain and graduate students from marginalized backgrounds.

Higher education has never been more critical to economic opportunity and mobility. But inequitable student support at colleges and universities, lack of coordination between education systems, and increasing costs threaten to lock a generation of California students who are already underrepresented in higher education out of that opportunity. California has made significant progress towards expanding equity and opportunities in higher education. The state has worked to help students enter higher education, eased the transfer process between schools and systems, and centered community college funding around supporting students’ needs. While these policy changes have helped to expand access, students of color and students from low-income families still face barriers within the California State University and University of California system, and our state’s colleges and universities at all levels can do much more to retain and graduate students from marginalized backgrounds.

Ed Trust–West is committed to increasing college retention and graduation rates among students from underserved communities and further refining the state’s education system. We are dedicated to eradicating barriers faced by students of color in higher education – ensuring equitable access to financial aid, expanding dual enrollment opportunities for Black, Latinx, and Native students, and addressing the racial inequities in remedial education.

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