Newsom Signs Laws Capping Community College Bachelor’s Programs

Overview

• Gov. Gavin Newsom approved two bills that set a statewide framework for when community college districts may start new bachelor’s degrees and how many they can add each year.
• Under the laws districts will be limited to between two and 12 new bachelor’s degrees annually beginning in 2028, and existing bachelor’s programs are exempt from the caps.
• The statutes base permission to expand on measurable student outcomes by allowing districts with higher graduation and transfer rates to add more programs and require districts to document regional workforce need.
• The bills change duplication rules with Cal State by allowing a community college to propose a similar degree only after a Cal State program has rejected more than 25 percent of applicants from that college for three straight years and by creating a binding impasse review by the state’s secretary of labor.
• Community college leaders sharply criticized last‑minute revisions and the metric ties as disadvantaging colleges that serve low‑income and nontraditional students, Cal State moved to a neutral position, and Newsom vetoed a separate nursing bachelor’s bill as unnecessary under the new framework.