February 18, 2022 - This brief analyzes the Governor’s budget proposals related to student financial aid at the California Student Aid Commission, the Scholarshare Investment Board, and the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.
February 6, 2025 - In this brief, we provide an overview and initial analysis of the Governor’s higher education budget plan.
February 9, 2022 - This budget post describes the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals for the Office of Planning and Research and provides comments and recommendations to the Legislature.
February 23, 2023 - In this brief, we analyze the Governor’s budget proposals relating to the California Student Aid Commission. We cover Cal Grants, Middle Class Scholarships, Golden State Education and Training Grants, Golden State Teacher Grants, and state operations.
March 1, 2023 - This brief reviews proposals to expand two California Volunteers programs: The Youth Jobs Corps and Climate Action Corps.
October 19, 2023 - This post summarizes the state’s 2023‑24 spending package for higher education. It is part of our Spending Plan series. In this post, we provide a short overview of the state’s higher education spending package, then cover spending for the California Community Colleges (CCC), California State University (CSU), University of California (UC), student financial aid, student housing, and California State Library. The EdBudget part of our website contains many tables providing more detail about the 2023‑24 education budget package.
February 28, 2025 - In this brief, we provide an update on Cal Grant and Middle Class Scholarship cost estimates, as well as analyze the Governor’s budget proposals for California College of the Arts and California Student Aid Commission’s state operations.
March 30, 2022 - This post describes the differences between the original Middle Class Scholarship program and the revamped program scheduled to go into effect in 2022-23. It then examines the estimated impacts of the revamped program and raises associated issues for legislative consideration.
April 25, 2019 - In this post, we analyze the Governor’s proposal to fund more student outreach regarding college affordability, career pathways, and transfer options at the California Community Colleges (CCC). Below, we (1) provide background on existing CCC programs related to these topics, (2) describe the Governor’s funding proposal and the CCC Chancellor’s Office’s plan to use the funds, (3) assess the proposal and spending plan, and (4) make an associated recommendation.
October 4, 2022 - This post summarizes the state’s 2022-23 spending package for higher education. It is part of our Spending Plan series. In this post, we provide a short overview of the state’s higher education spending package, then cover spending for the California Community Colleges (CCC), California State University (CSU), University of California (UC), student financial aid, student housing, and California State Library.
February 27, 2020 - In this brief, we provide an overview of the Governor’s proposed budget for the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). We then (1) assess the Governor’s Cal Grant cost estimates, (2) analyze the Governor’s proposal to fund a student loan outreach initiative, and (3) analyze the Governor’s state operations proposals for CSAC.
December 5, 2011 - Legislation in 2009 authorized a pilot program whereby college and university campuses could voluntarily administer certain Cal Grant programs that are normally administered centrally by the Student Aid Commission (CSAC). The CSAC developed regulations for the pilot in time for the 2010-11 academic year. No campuses volunteered to participate, however, due to cumbersome program requirements. This report provides background on the existing delivery model for financial aid programs; describes recent proposals for alternative delivery models; and chronicles the development, implementation, and outcomes of the pilot program. The report concludes with our recommendation, drawing on numerous studies over the last two decades, to decentralize Cal Grants through a process that includes a planning period but no pilot phase.