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TOO SIMPLE AN ANSWER FOR TOO CRAZY A PROBLEM
CALIFORNIA COMPETES: HIGHER EDUCATION FOR A STRONG ECONOMY
LANDE AJOSE
Presenta t ion a t SHEEO Conference Augus t 6 , 2015
Free-ish community college in California
The Master Plan, 1960
• Community college district system created in 1967
• Plan banned tuition based on ideal that public higher education, like K-12, ought to be free
• Severe budget deficits beginning after the enactment of Proposition 13 in 1978 leads to creation of “enrollment fees” at California community colleges beginning in 1984
California Community Colleges, Today
On the one hand …
Fees increased from $20/unit in 2008-09 academic year to $46/unit in summer 2012 – a 130 percent increase in a period of three academic years.
…but on the other…
At $46 a credit, it is the lowest tuition for community colleges in the nation
With Pell and Cal grants and a need-based “fee waiver” program, about 46% of students don’t pay tuition at all
California’s “Free-ish” Community College
Distribution of aid to California Community College (CCC) students. Source: TICAS
2013-14Recipients of each type of
aid
Total CCC Head Count
Share of Total CCC Head Count
receiving type of aid
BOG Fee Waivers
1,036,610 2,310,460 45%
Cal Grants 92,081 2,310,460 4%
Pell Grants 498,370 2,310,460 22%
Total Cost of Attendance atThree Public California Institutions
Sources: Figures from each school’s Net Price Calculator (NPC) for a dependent student with a family income under $30,000, and rounded to the nearest $100. NPCs accessed on November 10, 2014.
Berkeley City Col-lege
CSU East Bay UC Berkeley $-
$5,000
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
$25,000
$30,000
$18,400
$23,000
$28,300
Comparison of Net Price at Three Public California Institutions
Source: (TICAS) Figures from each school’s Net Price Calculator (NPC) for a dependent student with a family income under $30,000, and rounded to the nearest $100. NPCs accessed on November 10, 2014. Net price is what students and families have to save, earn, or borrow.
Berkeley City Col-lege
CSU East Bay UC Berkeley $-
$5,000
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
$25,000
$30,000
$12,200 $11,900 $8,500
$6,200 $11,100 $19,800
Grant Aid
Net Price
What is our main priority?
What about success?
• 65% of Latino college freshmen and 62% of Black freshmen enroll in community colleges.
• 47% of all students complete a degree/certificate or transfer to a four-year university within six years.
• For Latino students, that rate is 39% and for Black students, 37%.
Student Demographics by Ethnicity for 2013-2014
Black
Hispanic
Asian
White
Non resident alien
American Indian
Pacific Islander
Multi-Ethnicity
Unknown
Free tuition will not increase success
Free tuition is good but it’s not a panacea
Doesn’t address total cost of attendance, the largest share of college costs
Doesn’t use state resources most efficiently Takes the focus off the success agendaDoesn’t give students “skin in the game”Last dollar tuition policies are a regressive benefit
California’s “free-ish” model is a better deal because it directs limited dollars towards increasing access and student success for our most vulnerable
students.(the definition of equity?)
What about the Long Beach College Promise?
Partnership between public schools, community college district and state university.
Provides a free semester of tuition at LBCC, guaranteed admission to CSULB, early outreach, intensive support, and much more along the way.
Results? LBCC Course Completions - 500% increase in transfer-English success and 200% increase in transfer-math success.
Alternatives to Free Tuition Policies
Expand need-based “fee waiver” programs and/or state sponsored means-tested aid (i.e. Cal Grants)
Provide supplemental funding to help students cover non-tuition costs like textbooks, transportation, living expenses, etc.
Consider the Long Beach College Promise model – combines multiple interventions, including strengthened pathways and some free tuition
LANDE AJOSE, PH.D. EXECUTIVE DIRECTORCALIFORNIA COMPETES: HIGHER EDUCATION FOR A STRONG ECONOMY
Free Tuition – Access and Equity
