Public postsecondary education: the California Promise.

Existing law establishes the California Promise, which requires specified minimum numbers of campuses of the California State University to establish a California Promise program by which the campus would enter into a pledge with a student who satisfies specified criteria to support the student in earning a baccalaureate degree within 4 academic years, or if the student is a community college transfer student who earned an associate degree for transfer, within 2 academic years, of the academic year of the student's first year of enrollment, as specified. This bill would establish the Student Success and On-time Completion Fund in the State Treasury, and would authorize the trustees, upon appropriation by Legislature, to use moneys in the fund to incentivize participation in a campus' California Promise program in one or more specified ways, including the use of grants and tuition freezes, as specified. Commencing July 1, 2018, this bill would, if a California Promise student cannot complete a baccalaureate degree program within 4 academic years of the academic year of the student's first year of enrollment, or a participating transfer student cannot complete a baccalaureate degree program within 2 academic years of the student's first year of enrollment to the campus, as applicable, because a required course for the degree program is not offered or is full at the campus, prohibit systemwide tuition and fees, as applicable, otherwise required to register and enroll in the course, from being charged to the California Promise student once the course becomes available, or in a substitute course that fulfills the graduation requirement.