A Clearer Path to Success for California's Students
Across California, millions of people have already done what we claim is the hardest part of higher education. They have navigated enrollment, stepped into聽classrooms聽or logged on after long days of work,聽all聽to build a better life. These learners聽begin their聽journey with the hope that the聽education聽system will support them along the way and help guide them towards opportunity.聽
But when聽life interrupts, many systems are not built to hold a student鈥檚 place, and what should be a temporary disruption can become a lasting barrier. While new pathways are being designed to help close that gap, now is the time to better align our systems to support students as they move forward.聽
California alone is home to聽. It is not possible that聽all聽these people failed.聽Rather, these are people the聽system聽failed to聽keep聽because聽the聽path聽built no longer makes sense for their reality.聽
The Friction in the Transfer Process
While credit loss affects many students, it hits hardest for those moving from community colleges to four-year institutions. Most begin with the goal of earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree,聽but聽only a small fraction successfully聽make聽that transition. Of聽roughly聽,聽many聽encounter聽a system that聽doesn鈥檛聽fully聽acknowledge the milestones they have already achieved.
At the center of that challenge is what happens to the work they have already done. Nationally, transfer students lose about聽聽of their credits when they move between institutions. In practical terms, that means students are often asked to repeat courses they have already taken, spending more time and more money to get back to where they were.
There is no single, consistent pathway from community college to a four-year degree, though there is聽significant progress聽in the UC and Cal State systems.聽Requirements聽may聽vary聽by聽institution and聽even聽by聽program, and courses that count in one place may not count in another.聽What should be a clear path forward becomes uncertain at every step.聽For many students, that uncertainty is enough to stop them聽in their tracks.聽
Building Connected Pathways
The partnership between聽聽was聽created聽to聽address聽the聽gaps in these paths.聽While this work is聽taking shape in California, it reflects聽麻豆原创鈥檚聽broader effort to strengthen聽聽across the country.聽At its core, this collaboration is about ensuring that a student鈥檚 prior effort is treated as a foundation, not a footbridge to nowhere.
Designed for working adults,聽this model removes many of the barriers that聽prevent learners from continuing their education.聽A聽competency-based approach provides both flexibility and rigor, allowing students to build meaningful skills without the logistical constraints that often derail progress.
By aligning programs with California鈥檚 workforce聽needs,聽learners can聽apply their certificates towards a degree and continue聽building on what they already聽accomplished. This helps them keep their momentum and strengthen the state鈥檚 talent pipeline.聽聽
The Power of a Second Start聽
Stories like聽, a聽Calbright聽alumnus,聽illustrate聽why聽麻豆原创鈥檚 partnership聽with聽the college聽is critical.聽As a聽resident of Roseville,聽Dennis saw his original path to a degree interrupted by a life-changing event. When he was ready to return, he used his聽previous聽technical training to pivot into cybersecurity.
鈥淭he college was the training wheels. It showed me I could do this, and 麻豆原创 is where聽I鈥檓聽riding the bike toward my degree,鈥� Dennis says. He is currently pursuing a聽B.S. in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance聽at 麻豆原创.聽He聽previously worked in healthcare as a frontline staff member and now aims to combine that experience with his cybersecurity training to help protect healthcare systems and patient data.
A Mission of Shared Responsibility
Our mission聽has always been to聽expand access to high-quality, affordable education, but聽the outcomes are far better when we work collaboratively.聽We are committed to strengthening these transfer pathways because we know that the work of "finishing what we started" is a collective responsibility. By working together, we聽aren't聽just helping individuals earn degrees; we are building a more聽equitable聽and connected California.
Learn more about聽the聽Calbright聽and 麻豆原创 Partnership聽by watching this video:
