Higher Education & Student Support

Requires development of online tools to help low-income, foster, and undocumented students access financial aid by 2027. Mandates multilingual resources comparing college costs and financial aid options for different student situations. Establishes training programs for school counselors on using new financial aid guidance tools. Launches multilingual media campaign to promote financial aid resources in underserved communities.

Makes technical changes to provisions governing the California Community Colleges system.

Establishes a new state agency to coordinate and oversee California's postsecondary education system. Authorizes California to join interstate agreements for regulating out-of-state distance education programs. Requires out-of-state online education providers to register with California regulators by January 2028. Strengthens consumer protections by expanding oversight of distance education programs and institutional practices.

Establishes a new system for California community colleges to award credit for prior learning and work experience. Requires colleges to evaluate military service, certifications, and work experience for academic credit. Mandates credit transferability between all California community college districts. Requires the Chancellor to report credit award outcomes to the Legislature by September 2027.

Establishes a pilot program providing full financial aid to homeless students at three CSU campuses. Requires students to be age 17-26 and have experienced homelessness during high school to qualify. Creates campus liaisons to support homeless students with resources and program information. Launches in 2026 and expires in 2031 pending program evaluation and legislative review.

Authorizes Allan Hancock College to offer bachelor's degrees without approval from state universities. Requires new degree programs to address unmet local workforce needs without duplicating existing programs. Maintains the $84 per unit fee cap for upper-division courses at community college rates. Limits community colleges to offering bachelor's degrees in 25% of their total degree programs.

Requires California State University campuses to provide adoption information alongside contraception services. Mandates comprehensive information about adoption types, birth parent rights, and local support resources. Applies to all campus locations where contraception and emergency contraception are available.

Makes technical changes to community college job market study requirements.

Establishes new base funding for noncredit community college programs focused on basic needs and student services. Requires noncredit centers to have dedicated leadership and operate for at least 10 years to receive funding. Funds essential services including mental health, disability support, and veteran resource programs. Mandates the Board of Governors to develop a methodology for allocating funds to eligible institutions.

Establishes a pilot program allowing 15 community colleges to offer Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. Prioritizes colleges in underserved nursing areas and communities with persistent poverty. Requires participating colleges to maintain national accreditation and continue offering associate degrees. Mandates program evaluation by 2033 and automatically terminates the program in 2035.

Requires UC to study establishing a medical school branch campus in Kern County to address physician shortages. Mandates completion of the feasibility study within two years of receiving funding. Requires consultation with local medical organizations and labor unions during the study process. Directs UC to analyze potential sites, costs, and strategies for ensuring graduates can complete residencies locally.

Protects in-state tuition rates for military dependents at California public universities even if their family member retires. Maintains resident status for military dependents who reenroll after their family member transfers out of state. Applies to natural, adopted, and stepchildren or spouses who are dependents of Armed Forces members.

Requires UC and CSU to align college admission standards with state education content standards by 2028. Establishes an annual course certification process for high schools to meet college admission requirements. Mandates consultation with the State Board of Education before changing college admission criteria. Creates a streamlined approval process for duplicate high school courses across different schools.

Authorizes UC campuses to create affordable rental housing programs for faculty and employees. Allows UC to restrict and prioritize housing occupancy to university employees on UC-owned land. Enables UC to leverage public and private funding for faculty and employee housing development. Permits inclusion of local public employees when housing units are available.

Establishes a student loan repayment program offering up to $50,000 for California legislative staff members. Requires legislative staff to work full-time for at least 12 months to qualify for monthly repayment installments. Distributes loan repayments in equal monthly installments over 20 years while recipients remain employed. Creates a dedicated fund to accept donations and requires annual program monitoring for fraud prevention.

Requires community colleges to provide full-time benefits to part-time faculty teaching full loads across multiple districts. Expands benefit eligibility by combining teaching hours from two or more community college districts. Addresses inequity between part-time and full-time faculty compensation in the community college system.

Establishes a new 4.1875% tax on aviation fuel to fund airport improvements across California. Allocates 40% of funds to smaller airports serving under 300,000 passengers annually to expand air service. Provides 3% of revenue for aviation education grants prioritizing underrepresented students and veterans. Targets funding to boost air service in Kern County and other growing regions to drive economic development.

Establishes a direct admission program guaranteeing eligible high school students enrollment at specific CSU campuses. Extends the CSU dual admission program through 2036 to help underrepresented students transfer from community colleges. Requires community colleges to create five new transfer degree pathways in high-opportunity fields. Mandates that CSU campuses accept transfer students with qualifying degrees into similar majors with only 60 units remaining.

Establishes a new California General Education Transfer Curriculum as the standard pathway for community college transfers starting Fall 2025. Requires community colleges to create associate degrees that align with the new transfer curriculum requirements. Guarantees admission to CSU for students who complete the specified transfer requirements and maintain a 2.0 GPA. Expands and renames the Foster Care Education Program to include support for kinship care providers.

Establishes fast-track approval for single-family homes under 1,600 square feet that meet local design standards. Exempts qualifying housing projects from environmental review requirements under CEQA. Allows local agencies to charge fees to cover costs of implementing the streamlined approval process.

Establishes a statewide framework to help all high school students earn 12 college credits by 2030. Creates a diverse advisory board to guide dual enrollment policies and best practices. Requires submission of the dual enrollment framework to legislative committees by January 2027. Mandates universal access to dual enrollment courses for all public high school students.

Requires California State University to designate three burial sites for repatriated Native American remains. Mandates consultation with tribes to develop burial site policies across northern, central and southern California. Ensures tribes can request burial of repatriated remains at designated sites according to their customs.

Expands the CSU Board of Trustees from 25 to 27 members to increase faculty and appointee representation. Requires two faculty trustees to serve staggered two-year terms with appointments from Academic Senate nominees. Mandates board composition to reflect California's diverse demographics including race, gender, and veterans. Prohibits faculty trustees from participating in collective bargaining negotiations.

Requires California law schools to allow students to receive pay while earning credit for externships starting August 2026. Applies to both ABA-accredited and California-accredited law schools that receive state financial aid. Gives externship employers full discretion over whether to offer compensation to law students. Maintains existing academic requirements while prohibiting schools from charging extra fees for externships.

Requires all California high schools to establish dual enrollment programs with community colleges by 2029. Mandates that dual enrollment courses must lead directly to a degree, certificate, or transfer credit. Establishes formal partnerships through College and Career Access Pathways or early/middle college programs. Provides state reimbursement to schools for program implementation costs.