Public postsecondary education: community colleges: statewide baccalaureate degree program

The law creates a structured path for community-college bachelor’s degrees while protecting access to associate-degree and transfer education. Its operation depends on AB 2694 becoming law by January 1, 2027.

What the law does ​

• Requires proposed programs to address documented current or projected regional workforce needs.
• Limits programs that duplicate University of California offerings or nearby California State University offerings, with a narrow exception when an affected CSU program has accepted fewer than 75% of qualified district transfer applicants for three consecutive years.
• Caps each district’s new programs based on its three-year award-or-transfer rate, generally from two to 10 programs, while grandfathering programs approved before January 1, 2028.
• Allows districts to seek a four-year workforce-need determination from the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development before applying.
• Requires review of CSU objections by the labor secretary and resolution of UC objections through a written agreement.
• Limits districts to three applications a year, requires them to preserve lower-division access, and requires annual legislative reporting on program outcomes, funding, and objections.

Who it affects ​

• Community college districts seeking to offer new bachelor’s-degree programs.
• Students pursuing affordable upper-division study at community colleges.
• California State University and University of California campuses with similar regional programs.
• Regional employers and workforce-development boards providing workforce-need evidence.

Context ​

The new framework becomes operative January 1, 2028, only if AB 2694 is enacted and effective by January 1, 2027.