‘College Knowledge’ Series Continues…

Higher Education

Elena Mikhailova is a high school counselor and a college advisor with the Santa Clara Unified School District. She holds an M.A. in Educational Counseling from San Jose State University. Elena is also professionally certified in College Admissions and Career Advising by UC Berkeley.

Продолжение. Начало в №800, 801, 804, 808, 813, 816, 818, 823

The previous issue (#823) offered an overview of the US Higher Ed system. Today we will focus on CA Higher Ed, both public and private. California’s system of public Higher Education is considered to be one of the strongest worldwide.  It consists of three segments:
1. California Community College system (CCC)
2. California State University system (CSU)
3. University of California system (UC)
1. California Community Colleges (CCC)
Community College system is the largest higher education system in the nation. It is comprised of 112 colleges and enrolls about 3 million students. CCC are open-access public institutions that offer 2-year academic degrees, vocational certification and adult education. They also offer courses that prepare students for transfer to 4-year universities.
If someone wishes to pursue the transfer route, he should apply to college as a transfer student as freshman admission requirements would no longer apply here. For the 2010-2011 academic year, resident fees for CCC students are $26/per unit (an average $780/per year).
2. The California State University
These are public universities that award bachelor’s, master’s and education doctoral degrees, plus joint doctoral with other universities. The CSU system draws its students from the top third of California’s high school graduates and is the state’s primary undergraduate teaching system. The CSU system includes 23 campuses, serves more than 433,000 students annually and offers undergraduate and graduate instruction in a variety of professional and occupational fields as well as a broad liberal education. Admission priority is given to students who have successfully completed their first two years at CCC.
Each CSU campus retains its own unique academic and demographic character. These campuses include comprehensive and polytechnic universities. The primary focus of the CSU is providing quality instruction/teaching to undergraduates.
CSUs use three factors to determine eligibility for freshmen: specific high school coursework, suitable grades in specified courses and test scores, and graduation from high school. Some CSU campuses have higher standards for particular majors or for students who live outside the local campus area (many CSU campuses utilize local admission guarantee policies for students who graduate from local high schools). Because of the number of students who apply, a few CSU campuses have higher admissions standards for applicants.
It’s important to know that CA public schools distinguish between residents and non-residents for tuition purposes. State residents historically have been charged fees, but not tuition. Non-residents, however, pay both fees and tuition. The 2010-2011 undergraduate fee for full-time California students is $ 4,429.
3. University of California
The UC system includes 10 campuses and more than 220,000 students annually offering broad undergraduate education leading to the baccalaureate degree. It also awards master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees. Unlike the CSU system, one of the primary roles of UCs is research (not teaching).
Freshman students meet the minimum requirement if they have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, plus an adequate score on the ACT/SAT I and SAT II subject tests (this test won’t be a mandatory requirement for UCs starting in 2012). Admission priority is given to CA residents. For 2010, full-time California undergraduate UC students paid $10,302 in educational and student services fees.
A few words about CA Private (Independent) Colleges and Universities
In addition to the three public systems of higher education California is also home to 117 independent colleges and universities that are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the regional accrediting agency for CA. They serve nearly 300,000 California students each year, and have very different characteristics than public schools. 75 non-profit, degree-granting colleges and universities accredited by WASC form the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU).
The majority of the independent colleges/universities are non-profit institutions that are not supported by the state.
They include large campuses that are recognized worldwide for their traditional undergraduate/graduate/professional degree programs as well as smaller institutions that focus on a limited course of study. Some institutions mainly serve commuters, while others are residential campuses. Some colleges have a religious affiliation.
Many of the independent institutions have admission requirements that are similar to the CSU or UC systems.
Some independent institutions have requirements related to a specialty area of study such as music, art, or technology. However, admission requirements and deadlines vary. The same is true about fees and tuition that are generally higher than in public schools. If you are interested in attending a CA private school (example, Pepperdine, Stanford , University of Southern California, etc), contact the campus  of interest directly, or check out the AICCU website at https://www.aiccumentor.org
To find out more about colleges/universities options in CA please join us on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. (room G-100).
For more information call (650) 223-8621. This seminar is part of the “College Knowledge” series  that is taking place at Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto and is facilitated by Elena Mikhailova, a high school counselor with the SCUSD.
To contact Elena directly please e-mail collegepathway@gmail.com