California Competes, a research and policy organization, released a report identifying 6.4 million Californians ages 25 to 54 with high school diplomas but no college degree as potential students. Nearly half of these adults, or 3.1 million, have earned some college credits but not completed a degree.
California projects a decline of more than 30 percent in high school graduates in coming years, while the state needs 46 percent of its jobs to require college degrees by then. Currently, roughly 56 percent of California's working-age adults hold a college degree or postsecondary credential, falling short of Gov. Gavin Newsom's goal of 70 percent attainment by 2030.
The report documents barriers that prevent adult learners from enrolling. Seventy-four percent of potential graduates are employed, with 60 percent working full-time. Forty-two percent are parents of children under 18. Among employed adults, 30 percent work in service or retail jobs with unpredictable schedules. Nearly half live in households earning below a living wage as defined by the report, and roughly 40 percent live in California's inland and more rural regions where college options are limited.
Su Jin Jez, chief executive officer of California Competes, said higher education institutions remain structured around 18-year-old students despite significant changes in the student population and economy since California's Master Plan for Higher Education in 1960. "Even the traditional 18-year-old in California is a lot different than they were 60 years ago," Jez said.
The report recommends institutional and policy changes including expanding online and hybrid instruction, awarding credit for prior learning, simplifying re-enrollment and credit transfer, removing Cal Grant barriers that exclude older students, and expanding affordable childcare for student parents. Jez cited Shasta College's Accelerated College Education program and California State University, Sacramento as examples of institutions better serving adult learners. The report notes that nearly half of potential graduates are Latino, predominantly of Mexican heritage, and nearly half a million have limited English proficiency.