Education (Higher Education)

Existing law authorizes the governing board of a community college district to enter into a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnership with the governing board of a school district, a county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school for the purpose of offering or expanding dual enrollment opportunities for pupils who may not already be college bound or who are underrepresented in higher education, as provided. Existing law requires the partnership agreement to outline the terms of the partnership, as specified, and to establish protocols for information sharing, joint facilities use, and parental consent for high school pupils to enroll in community college courses. Existing law requires the protocols to only require a high school pupil participating in a CCAP partnership to submit one parental consent form and principal recommendation for the duration of the pupil's participation in the CCAP partnership. This bill would revise the CCAP partnership provisions to eliminate the requirement that the protocols require principal recommendation. Existing law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to revise the special part-time student application process to allow a pupil to complete one application for the duration of the pupil's attendance at a community college as a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement. This bill would require a CCAP partnership agreement to also establish protocols that authorize a pupil to complete one application for the duration of the pupil's attendance at a community college as a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement. Existing law authorizes a community college district to allow a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement to enroll in up to a maximum of 15 units per term in courses offered at the community college campus or the participating high school campus if certain circumstances are satisfied, including that the units constitute no more than 4 community college courses per term. This bill would eliminate the 4 community college courses per term limit for a special part-time student enrolling in up to 15 units under a CCAP partnership agreement. Existing law requires, for each CCAP partnership agreement, the affected community college district and school district, county office of education, or charter school to annually report specified information to the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, including the total number of community college courses, by course category and type and by schoolsite, enrolled in by CCAP partnership participants. This bill instead would require the affected community college district and school district, county office of education, or charter school to annually report the total number of high school pupils who successfully completed 12 or more units of college coursework by graduation, completed a certificate, or completed the courses required for an associate degree or an associate degree for transfer.

(1) The California Constitution prohibits the Legislature from creating a debt or liability that singly or in the aggregate with any previous debts or liabilities exceeds the sum of $300,000, except by an act that (A) authorizes the debt for a single object or work specified in the act, (B) has been passed by a 23 vote of all the Members elected to each house of the Legislature, (C) has been submitted to the people at a statewide general or primary election, and (D) has received a majority of all the votes cast for and against it at that election. This bill would set forth the College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2026 as a state general obligation bond act that would provide $____ to construct and modernize education facilities, as specified. This bond act would become operative only if approved by the voters at an undefined statewide election. The bill would also provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at that election. (2) Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. This bill would require the Trustees and the Regents to comply with certain conditions, as provided, before receiving funds from the 2026 University Capital Outlay Bond Fund established pursuant to the College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2026. (3) This bill, except for the provision making the provisions of the bill severable, would become operative upon the adoption of the College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2026 by the voters at an undefined statewide election.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions as the segments of postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires certain postsecondary educational institutions to be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education to qualify as an independent institution of higher education to be eligible for certain programs and to receive an approval to operate. Existing laws applicable to, among other things, the licensure and regulation of various professions and vocations by the Department of Consumer Affairs require applicants for licensure or licensees to satisfy educational requirements by completing programs or degrees from institutions or universities accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency or association recognized by the United States Department of Education, or otherwise impose a requirement that a school or program be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. This bill would require, for purposes of any code or statute, a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education as of January 1, 2025, to retain that recognition until July 1, 2029, provided that the accrediting agency continues to operate in substantially the same manner as it did on January 1, 2025. The bill would repeal those provisions on January 1, 2030.

Existing law establishes the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires each community college campus and each California State University campus, and requests each University of California campus, to establish the position of the Basic Needs Coordinator to assist students, among other responsibilities, with basic needs services and resources, including childcare, and to establish a Basic Needs Center where basic needs services, resources, and staff are made available to students, as provided. Existing law requires each Basic Needs Center to, among other things, connect students to the financial aid department or financial aid office, as appropriate, to ensure that students are receiving all available financial aid. This bill would expand the definition of basic needs services and resources to include childcare services and resources, as defined, and would authorize that childcare services and support to include direct financial and service support. The bill would explicitly state that all available financial aid includes supplemental awards such as the Cal Grant award for students with dependent children. If a campus has an existing center or office that supports parenting students, the bill would authorize a Basic Needs Center to direct that student to the student parent center or office if the student would be better served by that center or office. Existing law requires each campus of the California State University and the California Community Colleges, and requests each campus of the University of California, to host on its internet website a student parent internet web page that contains information that clearly lists all on- and off-campus student parent services and resources, as specified. This bill would require the financial aid office of each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and request the financial aid office of each campus of the University of California, to provide students with dependent children information on the campus' childcare development center and childcare offerings, if applicable, a referral to the campus Basic Needs Center, and information on supplemental awards such as the Cal Grant award for students with dependent children, as provided. Existing law authorizes public postsecondary institutions to establish and maintain child development programs on or near their campuses. This bill would require child development programs or preschools established by the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and request child development programs or preschools established by the University of California, to provide students with dependent children seeking childcare with a referral to the campus Basic Needs Center and the campus' financial aid office, as specified. By imposing additional duties on community college districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 66023.5 of the Education Code proposed by SB 148 and AB 148 to be operative only if this bill and either SB 148 or AB 148 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law requires the Trustees of the California State University, the governing boards of community college districts, and independent institutions of higher education that are qualifying institutions for purposes of the Cal Grant Program, and requests the Regents of the University of California, to the fullest extent consistent with state and federal law, to implement various precautionary measures when federal immigration enforcement activities are undertaken on campuses of those segments, as specified. Existing law requires those precautionary measures to include, among other measures, that in the event that an undocumented student is detained, deported, or is unable to attend to their academic requirements due to the action of an immigration officer in relation to a federal immigration order, as specified, a requirement that the college or university make all reasonable efforts to assist the student in retaining any eligibility for financial aid, fellowship stipends, and exemptions from nonresident tuition fees, among other benefits the student has been awarded or received, and a requirement that the student be permitted to reenroll if and when the student is able to return to the college or university. This bill would require the Trustees of the California State University, and would request the Regents of the University of California, to implement additional precautionary measures, including, among others, requiring adoption of a systemwide policy addressing course grades, administrative withdrawal, and reenrollment for undocumented students who are unable to attend their courses by the final drop date due to immigration enforcement activity, as specified.

Existing law establishes the California State University and the University of California as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the California State University, and requests the University of California, to publicly provide labor market outcome information relating to the graduates of their undergraduate programs. This bill would require the California State University, and would request the University of California, to include in admission notifications (1) a hyperlink to the university's internet website that contains the labor market outcome information described above, and (2) information on student loans, as specified.

The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. This bill would establish the College Access for All Fund in the State Treasury and would require all moneys in the fund to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the University of California and the California State University for purposes of lowering the cost of undergraduate attendance, either through tuition reductions or loan repayment programs, or a combination of tuition reductions and loan repayment programs.

This measure would encourage the President of the University of California, the Chancellor of the California State University, and the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to create a workgroup of faculty, staff, and administrators to (1) review the use of artificial intelligence in higher education, (2) create a public report on the strategies and best practices for artificial intelligence usage agreed upon by the workgroup within one year following formation of the workgroup, and (3) submit the report to the Legislature and the relevant policy committees of the Legislature with jurisdiction over higher education and privacy and consumer protection.

(1) Existing law requires that a pupil be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with the pupil's gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records. This bill would require that a pupil's participation in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use of facilities, including bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and overnight accommodations instead be based upon the pupil's sex, as defined. (2) The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California's public and independent segments of higher education and their respective institutions of higher education. A provision of the act applies to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, act to make the provision applicable. A portion of the Donahoe Higher Education Act, known as the Equity in Higher Education Act, provides, among other things, that all students have the right to participate fully in the educational process, free from discrimination and harassment, and that California's postsecondary educational institutions have an affirmative obligation to combat racism, sexism, and other forms of bias, and a responsibility to provide equal educational opportunity. This bill, notwithstanding any other law, would require that a student's participation in sex-segregated athletic programs and activities and use of facilities, including bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, overnight accommodations, and student housing at a postsecondary institution be based upon the student's sex.

The California Constitution prohibits the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California's public and independent segments of higher education and their respective institutions of higher education. A provision of the act applies to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, act to make the provision applicable. This bill would state that the California State University, the University of California, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions may consider providing a preference in admissions to an applicant who is a descendant of slavery, as defined, to the extent it does not conflict with federal law.