An overwhelming 87% of parents want their children to get a college degree from either a four year or community college – but 72% of families are concerned about whether they can afford it. Families making under $80,000 a year are “very worried.”
That’s according to a new report on college affordability from the Public Policy Institute of California.
Just how affordable is college in California?
The good news is that California students are less likely to take on student loans: For the 2021- 2022 school year, only 23% of first time, full-time students in California had student loans, much lower than the national average of 39%. Only 1% of California Community College students borrowed to attend.
The bad news is that college costs continue to increase, and non-tuition costs – things like food, housing, textbooks, supplies, transportation, and more – are “substantial,” and impact a student’s overall economic well-being.
Generally, California is doing well at keeping costs down by using traditional approaches, like more (and simplified) student aid. But California’s innovative, non-traditional approaches – like Calbright – are even more impactful.
Calbright takes affordability to the next level: Its programs are free to all Californians. There’s no cost, no fees, and no need for student aid. Calbright doesn’t charge for materials. In fact, it provides equipment like laptops and internet hotspots as well as services like coaching and counseling for free to students who need them. Calbright’s classes are online, so there’s no need for travel or additional housing.
The only thing students are required to provide is their time – and even then, Calbright makes its classes as accessible as possible by making them flexible so that students can study when it fits their lives, rather than bending their lives to fit their education.
College affordability is a serious problem. But California, already doing better than most of the nation, is successfully innovating to find ways to make it affordable and accessible to everyone who needs it.
