The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) recently released two fact sheets detailing college access and readiness throughout the state.
Researchers found that the majority of California students graduate high school — thereby fulfilling one requirement for acceptance into one of the state’s four-year university systems — but less than half complete the courses required for eligibility. While well over half of graduates go to college, transfers from community colleges make up a sizable share of enrollment at both the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) campuses.
Readiness
The first fact sheet notes that California defines college and career readiness broadly, with the state’s College and Career Indicator (CCI) using a variety of metrics including test scores on the Smarter Balanced assessments (SBAC); completion of A-G courses required for admission to a UC or CSU; and earning the State Seal of Biliteracy or college credits through dual enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.
Metrics for career readiness include completion of career technical education (CTE) pathways, military leadership courses, apprenticeships and other job programs.
Based on these metrics, 45 percent of California high school graduates are considered prepared for college or career, while another 18 percent are deemed “Approaching Prepared,” yet PPIC noted that close to 80 percent of students are not academically prepared for college success.
Performance on the grade 11 SBAC tests fell sharply after the pandemic and have yet to recover, researchers found.
“Academic preparation is key to college readiness. Students who score ‘Standard Met’ for both reading and math on the SBAC grade 11 exams are defined as college ready,” the fact sheet states. “In 2024, only 22 percent of California graduates were rated college ready based on their standardized test scores.”
And readiness varies across student groups, with about 14 percent of low-income students deemed college ready compared to 30 percent of students who are not low income, while 51 percent of Asian and 32 percent of white students are considered college ready, compared to 13 percent of Latino students and 8 percent of Black students.
There is some good news in the findings: Trends in college preparatory course-taking show promise as districts have increased access to the A-G courses required for UC and CSU eligibility and the gap is slowly closing between students in underrepresented groups and their peers.
To further improve readiness, PPIC recommends increased coordination between the state’s K-12 districts and higher education systems to promote a smooth transition to college, as well expanding “access to dual enrollment and efforts like the Golden State Pathways Program, which promotes postsecondary training and career pathways in high-growth areas, [and] aim to strengthen connections to higher education.”
Access
When it comes to access, PPIC found that about three in five Californians enroll in college right after high school, and the state’s community colleges are a key entry point to higher education.
“High school graduates are more likely to go to the California Community Colleges (CCC) than to enroll directly in the four-year public systems: 33 percent enroll in a CCC, while 12 percent go to CSU and 8 percent go to the UC,” researchers wrote. However, they noted, “CCC enrollment rates have fallen in recent years — they are down about 5 percentage points from a 2015 peak while enrollment at the four-year universities has been relatively stable.”
While hundreds of thousands of students apply to UC and CSU each year, the fact sheet shows that transfers from community colleges to four-year universities play an outsized role in California compared to other states. In fall 2024, PPIC found that students transferring from community colleges made up 26 percent of new enrollees at UC and 40 percent of new enrollees at CSU.
“Initiatives like the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) at CSU and the dual admissions program at many UC campuses play a key role in efforts to increase transfer rates from community colleges,” the fact sheet states. “Despite concerns about California’s shrinking population and declining enrollment in both K–12 schools and postsecondary institutions, recent projections anticipate rising enrollment at the UC and CSU, but stagnant growth at the CCC.”
