A bill working its way through the California Legislature this year aims to provide community college students a “more inclusive and supportive environment” when transferring to a Cal State or UC school.
One of the first bills introduced this legislative session, AB 9 from Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, would help transfer students by establishing set guidelines for Cal State and UC systems that students could refer to.
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Those guidelines — required of Cal State but recommended for UC schools — would lay out by September 2026 how many community college students should be enrolled in each discipline, program or major. The targets would also be set across individual campuses, when possible.
According to the California Community Colleges, 80,000 students transfer to a Cal State or a UC school each year.
“The ultimate goal is to ensure that transfer students have equal opportunities to pursue their educational dreams and are better positioned to succeed once they transition to four-year universities,” Quirk-Silva said.
As a former community college student at Fullerton College, Quirk-Silva said she understands how community colleges can be a “lifeline” for higher education and opportunity. With the bill, Quirk-Silva said she wants to enhance existing university systems communication and data sharing that will benefit students.
Along with setting the representation goals, the Cal State system would also be required to share online the ratio of enrolled transfer students to enrolled undergraduate students systemwide, the ratio of enrolled transfer students to enrolled undergraduate students at each campus, and the ratio of enrolled community college transfer students in each discipline, program or major to the number of undergraduates enrolled in each discipline, program or major.
For UC schools, the bill would only request a systematic approach to identify which specific disciplines, programs or majors would benefit from increasing capacity for community college transfer students.
Spokespeople for Cal State and UC systems said officials are still reviewing the bill and will follow it throughout the legislative process.
Long-term, Quirk-Silva said the bill not only benefits students with more opportunities but also helps create a diverse and educated workforce in California.
“Community college students bring incredible diversity, determination, and resilience to our universities. When we make their pathways clearer and more supportive, we are enriching our entire state,” Quirk-Silva said. “That is the kind of California I believe in, and that is what this bill is all about.”
The bill has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education.