Dive Brief:
- California community college grads interested in historically black colleges and universities will have new support to get there thanks to recently announced interstate partnerships.
- According to Inside Higher Ed, a new program guarantees students admission to nine out-of-state colleges after graduating with an associate degree from California community colleges.
- As there are no historically black colleges and universities in California, the interstate agreements will open new pathways for California students to find additional education out of state and help such colleges and universities with their recruitment efforts, according to the article.
Dive Insight:
Historically black colleges and universities have seen enrollment declines in recent years and many struggle to stay afloat in this era of increasing competition among higher education institutions. The deal forged between nine historically black colleges and universities with the California community college system should help some of them create pipelines to their institutions — a critical detail, given the enrollment and financial struggles some HBCUs have faced in recent years. Inside Higher Ed reports the partnership “may be a precedent-setting agreement” between institutions across state lines. If the partnership ends up being successful and mutually beneficial for the parties involved, it could see replication in other states.