Education
California boosts spending to help students earn math and science degrees
A program for low-income, first-generation STEM students at community colleges is receiving millions of dollars to expand across the state.
Homeless students can sleep safely in their cars at this California college. Other campuses say no
Failed legislative bills have attempted to create safe parking programs for students to sleep in their cars on California campuses while awaiting housing. Meanwhile, Long Beach City College allows homeless students to park overnight.
California students want careers in AI. Here’s how colleges are meeting that demand
The governor’s recent deal with Nvidia will boost AI education at community colleges and open the door to similar deals for public four-year universities in California. Meanwhile, computer science programs are adding AI concentrations and majors to prepare students for a range of "blue collar" and technical AI jobs.
How California keeps transgender student athletes on the court as bans unfold across the country
California is becoming increasingly tangled in the nationwide fight over whether transgender college athletes should be allowed to compete on teams of their gender identity. Just how much can state laws and policies protect its players?
We talked to California college students about today’s election. Here’s what’s on their minds
California’s college students represent a wide array of ages, ethnicities, lived experiences and political beliefs. Eight voters who attend a California college shared their perspectives with CalMatters on the issues that matter to them as some vote in local, state and national elections for the first time.
Jennifer Burger
Editor
Matthew Reagan
Assistant Editor
Delilah Brumer
Los Angeles Pierce College
Katelyn Do
University of Southern California
Emewodesh Eshete
UC Berkeley
Jeremy Garza
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
June Hsu
Pomona College
Desmond Meagley
Laney College
Victoria Mejicanos
Cal Poly Pomona
Amy Elisabeth Moore
Santa Rosa Junior College
Lizzy Rager
UC Santa Barbara
Lylah Schmedel-Permanna
Laney College
Jasmin Shirazian
Cal Poly Humboldt
Mercy Sosa
Sacramento State University
Education
They conquered gloom and Zoom: 2024 college grads on what comes next
Five college graduates reflect on their unique college experience and look forward to their early career plans.
College Beat
Black leaders provide roadmap to reparations in California
Panelists discuss the importance of acknowledging and apologizing for California’s racist policies during CalMatters’ Ideas Festival.
Higher Education
Raising kids in California? They may have college savings accounts you don’t know about.
The state is directly investing money for low-income students and all newborns to attend college. After two years, the program is still not widely known by the students who need the most financial assistance.
Higher Education
Hispanic Serving Institutions rely on federal funding to support Latino students. What happens when the money ends?
Once federal grant funding ends many resources and opportunities at Hispanic Serving Institutions continue only through student and faculty efforts. Experts say campuses must maintain programs to better serve Latino students.
Higher Education
Hundreds arrested and suspended: How California colleges are disciplining faculty and students over protests
Students and faculty protesting the Israel-Hamas war at universities throughout California are facing a range of consequences from arrests to suspensions and bans from campus. Meanwhile, students and faculty have also had to endure campus closures, canceled events, and classes moving online. What are the academic and legal costs of civil disobedience for California’s college protesters?
Higher Education
UC’s president had a plan to deescalate protests. How did we get a night of violence at UCLA?
The University of California’s campus safety plan was designed to calm protests by limiting law enforcement. Yet as tensions grew to violence against a UCLA student encampment erected in protest over the war in Gaza, many are criticizing law enforcement’s initial lack of intervention.
College Beat
Native American students get free tuition to attend the UC. Why it isn’t enough.
The UC Native American Opportunity Plan seeks to make the system a viable option for Native students in California by offering them free tuition. But Native students enrolled at UC campuses report that strains on their budgets along with insufficient resources and faculty representation have been obstacles to academic success.
College Beat
California’s disabled students left behind during emergencies: ‘They just weren’t ready for someone like me’
After bringing his story all the way to the University of California Board of Regents, a disabled UC Berkeley student has prompted the UC to ensure emergency evacuation chairs are in every multi-storied building in the 10-university system.
College Beat
California colleges have to slash emissions. Here’s why decarbonization is complex and costly.
California’s three public university systems are either setting or reworking their climate plans to fall in line with the state’s goal for carbon neutrality by 2045, all while striving to expand in size and scope. New plans do away with a large reliance on carbon offsets, making an already difficult and costly process of reducing emissions even harder.