Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Csu Enrollment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CSU briefs subcommittee on direct‑admit pilots, transfer planner and Graduation Initiative 2025 progress
Summary
California State University officials described several enrollment initiatives — direct conditional admission pilots, a transfer planner used by more than 32,000 community‑college students, expansion of dual‑admission outreach and progress on Graduation Initiative 2025 — and warned that budget cuts could jeopardize gains.
California State University enrollment officials told the Senate Budget Subcommittee they continue to pursue multiple strategies to expand access and accelerate time to degree, but that proposed budget reductions could undermine that work.
April Gromo, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Enrollment Management, described a conditional admission pilot in Riverside County that partners two CSU campuses (Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State San Marcos) with local students, and said the pilot generated a 22% year‑over‑year increase in applications from Riverside County. Gromo listed eight other campuses participating in a broader conditional admit pilot aimed at reversing enrollment declines: California Maritime Academy, Chico State, Cal State East Bay, Cal Poly Humboldt, San Francisco State, Monterey Bay, Sonoma State and CSU Channel Islands.
Gromo also described the CSU's Transfer Success Pathway and a new CSU transfer planner, which more than 32,000 students have used to map transfer pathways. She noted that while students may hold associate degrees for transfer (ADT), only about half of ADT recipients apply to the CSU pathway that guarantees admission to a related major; the transfer planner is intended to identify and engage students earlier. CSU reported it expects to exceed a 2024‑25 resident undergraduate enrollment growth expectation (the LAO and CSU said CSU projected roughly 9,000 resident undergraduate FTE growth in 2024‑25) but LAO testimony recommended holding 2025‑26 expectations flat if no additional state funding is provided.
Gromo noted efforts to scale dual‑enrollment and certificate programs with local high schools (Cal State San Marcos example), and said a portion of recent tuition policy changes is being directed toward institutional aid. She added CSU is reviewing financial aid and cost‑of‑attendance tools to better support students’ non‑tuition costs.
LAO witness Natalie Gonzales recommended the Legislature hold CSU's 2025‑26 resident undergraduate enrollment expectations flat at the projected 2024‑25 level unless the state provides additional general fund support, because directing enrollment growth without associated funding could force further reductions that would hurt students.
Ending: Senators requested written enrollment projections and disaggregated outcome data, and asked CSU to continue sharing pilot results with the committee as admissions cycles proceed.
