I know what happened when Prop 209 passed. It has not been a disaster....but it has had an impact and a rethinking about how to prepare students from underserved communities to gain admission.
UC and CSU use a broad criteria to select the incoming freshman class, which includes socio-economic consideration based upon the high school attended and the students' residence.
The approach is that a good student from a low academic performing high school or one who lives in a low-middle class neighborhood deserves consideration for admission.
The UC system is very competitive and highly selective, accepting only the top 9% of CA graduating seniors. The CSU is less selective But, desirable majors and departments are impacted or over-enrolled and some CSU campuses (CalPoly and San Diego) are
A student who graduates from a CA community college with Transfer admission guarantee (TAG) completed WILL gain admission to the major and campus that they want. That's the key point. Access is available. I have seen many transfer students be successful and continue to graduate and professional schools.
However, across UC campuses there are only 4% Black, with 22% Latino and 35% Asian. The percentages are better at the CSU system ( 4 % Black, 47% Latino). The CA community colleges have open enrollment.
The UC, CSU systems have outreach programs to help underprivileged students compete for admission. Once on campus, there are numerous student support services open to all students. I have direct knowledge.
The point I'd like to stress is that higher education in California is guided by the CA master plan of higher education. It needs to be revised, it provides distinct mission and funding so as to avoid squabbling over funding and resources. It's not perfect. I am a huge fan of the CA community colleges. Affordable, accessible and with the TAG....opportunities are there for not just 18 year olds but for older adults who want a college education.
Thanks for reading my post.
= new reply since forum marked as read