Californians: College unaffordable, not the only way to succeed

LOS ANGELES — Most Californians believe the University of California and California State University are unaffordable, and they highly value community colleges and vocational training as alternative paths to career success, according to a statewide poll released Monday.

More than three-fourths of state residents surveyed still view four-year degrees as valuable. But they are divided over whether a higher education is still as useful today to achieve better economic opportunities as it was in the past, with 53% saying it is and 45% expressing doubt. And 63% of respondents said multiple pathways, including college and apprenticeships, can help achieve a successful and profitable career, compared with 33% who said four-year degrees were needed.

The findings underscore a significant perception gap between the California public and political and educational leaders who tout the state's generous financial aid programs and the long-term economic benefits of a four-year degree.

The 10-campus UC system, for instance, fully covers tuition for 55% of its California undergraduates using state Cal Grants and its own institutional aid generated from tuition revenue, philanthropy and other sources.

Its larger financial aid resources mean UC campuses can be less costly than community colleges when housing, food and other non-tuition costs are considered, according to an analysis by the Institute for College Access & Success.

The state is launching one of its largest ever efforts to make college affordable, pouring $1 billion into expanded Cal Grants, middle-class scholarships and more affordable student housing and textbooks. UC is offering more financial aid packages that cover the full cost of attendance without loans, pledging to offer a debt-free education to all undergraduates by 2030 and half of them by 2025.

But that information doesn't appear to be widely known.

Michael Lawson, president of the Los Angeles Urban League, one of three community organizations that commissioned the survey, said awareness about California's financial aid programs and college affordability push was "close to zero" in much of the Black community. He

added that reducing higher education costs may still not make it affordable. Also, he said, some

Black adults feel an urgent need to work to help support their families, possibly contributing to lower college attendance rates. Among Californians surveyed, 60% believe that UC is largely or completely unaffordable — a perception held across all racial groups, political ideologies, age, gender, income levels and geographical regions. Cal State is also regarded as largely or completely unaffordable by 55% of those surveyed.

UC's estimated 2022-23 cost of attendance, including tuition, housing, food and other expenses, is $38,504 for California residents who live on campus; Cal State's is $30,676.

State residents are divided on how to address rising costs for the UC and Cal State systems, with 18% supporting higher tuition, 24% more taxpayer support, 28% backing a mix of both and 30% unsure or declining to answer.

"Respondents are clearly worried about sticker shock as it relates to the costs of higher education, but data tells us that a credential or degree is still a critical means for economic and social mobility for both students and California more broadly," said Jake Brymner, the California Student Aid Commission's deputy director of policy and public affairs.

"Despite California's generous state financial aid system, its complexity means that students and their families do not get a clear message about how those resources are available to them."

In a statement, UC said it understood the myriad economic challenges, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, facing California students and their families about college costs and student debt.

"However, it is important to underscore that a UC degree continues to be one of the most valuable investments available to Californians," the statement said.

"Our campuses have graduated more than 40,000 California students a year over the last decade, the majority of which go on to work in California and double their earnings within the first decade of their career."