I work with many California students and in many cases, they do not want to go out of state for college. I understand the desire to stay close to home for many students. However, as a recent report shows, California public colleges are not the bargain that they used to be and in many cases are not as strong academically as people believe.
A new report out from California State University Sacramento, entitled “Consequences of Neglect“, details the decline in the strength of public colleges in California. Among the findings in the report:
- California is average among the states for affordability of its public colleges but recent budget cuts and increases in tuition and fees are making public colleges much less affordable for the average California resident.
- Although many California residents start college, graduation rates are often poor.
- California ranks last in the country in total funding for students.
I understand that many states public colleges are struggling with the budget cuts that they have been forced to undergo in the past 10 years. But this problem seems to be particularly severe in California.
Does this mean that you shouldn’t consider a California public college if you are a resident of California? No. But keep an open mind on what your options are because there may be better options available to you if you look outside the state.
I also believe that budget cuts have forced California colleges to focus on out-of-state students, whose much higher tuition payments help offset the loss of state funding.