(1)Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of postsecondary education in the state.

Existing law requires the California State University to establish a model uniform set of academic standards for purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University. Under existing law, the University of California and the California State University are expected to plan that adequate spaces are available to accommodate all California resident students who are eligible and likely to apply to attend an appropriate place within the system.

This bill would establish the CSU Direct Admission Program under which a pupil graduating from a high school of a participating local educational agency is deemed eligible for enrollment into a designated California State University campus. The bill would require, upon the implementation of transcript-informed pupil accounts, the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to be used to provide the data required to determine eligibility for the program, as specified. The bill would require the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the California State University, to transmit a letter of direct admission to each eligible pupil that notifies the pupil that they have been directly admitted, as specified.

(2)Existing law, until the 202627 academic year, requires the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the California State University that guarantees the students admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an associate degree for transfer (ADT) or another established course of study for transfer within 2 academic years at a California community college.

This bill would extend the above-described dual admission program until the 203536 academic year, and would instead require a student to complete an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within 3 academic years at a California community college. The bill would also require the California Community Colleges to take certain actions to promote the program.

(3)By imposing new duties on community college districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(1)Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of postsecondary education in the state.

Existing law requires the California State University to establish a model uniform set of academic standards for purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University. Under existing law, the University of California and the California State University are expected to plan that adequate spaces are available to accommodate all California resident students who are eligible and likely to apply to attend an appropriate place within the system.

This bill would establish the CSU Direct Admission Program under which a pupil graduating from a high school of a participating local educational agency is deemed eligible for enrollment into a designated California State University campus. The bill would require, upon the implementation of transcript-informed pupil accounts, the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to be used to provide the data required to determine eligibility for the program, as specified. The bill would require the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the California State University, to transmit a letter of direct admission to each eligible pupil that notifies the pupil that they have been directly admitted, as specified.

(2)Existing law, until the 202627 academic year, requires the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the California State University that guarantees the students admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an associate degree for transfer (ADT) or another established course of study for transfer within 2 academic years at a California community college.

This bill would extend the above-described dual admission program until the 203536 academic year, and would instead require a student to complete an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within 3 academic years at a California community college. The bill would also require the California Community Colleges to take certain actions to promote the program.

(3)By imposing new duties on community college districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(1)Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of postsecondary education in the state.

Existing law requires the California State University to establish a model uniform set of academic standards for purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University. Under existing law, the University of California and the California State University are expected to plan that adequate spaces are available to accommodate all California resident students who are eligible and likely to apply to attend an appropriate place within the system.

This bill would establish the CSU Direct Admission Program under which a pupil graduating from a high school of a participating local educational agency is deemed eligible for enrollment into a designated California State University campus. The bill would require, upon the implementation of transcript-informed pupil accounts, the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to be used to provide the data required to determine eligibility for the program, as specified. The bill would require the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the California State University, to transmit a letter of direct admission to each eligible pupil that notifies the pupil that they have been directly admitted, as specified.

(2)Existing law, until the 202627 academic year, requires the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the California State University that guarantees the students admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT associate degree for transfer (ADT) or another established course of study for transfer within 2 academic years at a California community college.

This bill would extend the above-described dual admission program until the 203536 academic year, and would instead require a student to complete an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within 3 academic years at a California community college. The bill would also require the California Community Colleges to take certain actions to promote the program.

(3)By imposing new duties on community college districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(1)Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of postsecondary education in the state.

Existing law requires the California State University to establish a model uniform set of academic standards for purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University. Under existing law, the University of California and the California State University are expected to plan that adequate spaces are available to accommodate all California resident students who are eligible and likely to apply to attend an appropriate place within the system.

This bill would establish the CSU Direct Admission Program under which a pupil graduating from a high school of a participating local educational agency is deemed eligible for enrollment into a designated California State University campus. The bill would require, upon the implementation of transcript-informed pupil accounts, the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to be used to provide the data required to determine eligibility for the program, as specified. The bill would require a participating local educational agency to identify each pupil who is eligible under the program on or before September 1 of each year. The bill would require the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the California State University, to transmit a letter of direct admission to each identified eligible pupil that notifies the pupil that they have been directly admitted, as specified.

(2)Existing law provides community college students with a transfer pathway, facilitated by mechanisms such as the associate degree for transfer (ADT), allowing students to apply academic credit earned at a community college toward receipt of a baccalaureate degree at a 4-year postsecondary educational institution. Existing law requires a student who earns an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program when the student meets certain requirements.

Existing law establishes, until July 1, 2027, the Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT and to achieve specified objectives relating to the ADT and transfer model curricula (TMCs), as specified. Existing law requires the committee, on or before December 31, 2023, to provide the Legislature with recommendations on certain issues impeding the scaling of the ADT and streamlining transfer across segments for students.

This bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish, in collaboration with the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, an intersegmental curriculum workgroup composed of community college and California State University faculty who teach in fields of study with high opportunity for social mobility for the purpose of creating no fewer than 5 TMCs that are not related to existing ADTs, as specified.

(3)Existing law, until the 202627 academic year, requires the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the California State University that guarantees the students admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within 2 academic years at a California community college.

This bill would extend the above-described dual admission program until the 203536 academic year, and would instead require a student to complete an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within 3 academic years at a California community college. The bill would also require the California Community Colleges to take certain actions to promote the program.

(4)By imposing new duties on community college districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(1)Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of postsecondary education in the state.

Existing law requires the California State University to establish a model uniform set of academic standards for purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University. Under existing law, the University of California and the California State University are expected to plan that adequate spaces are available to accommodate all California resident students who are eligible and likely to apply to attend an appropriate place within the system.

This bill would establish the CSU Direct Admission Program under which a pupil graduating from a high school of a participating local educational agency is deemed eligible for enrollment into a designated California State University campus. The bill would require, upon the implementation of transcript-informed pupil accounts, the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to be used to provide the data required to determine eligibility for the program, as specified. The bill would require a participating local educational agency to identify each pupil who is eligible under the program on or before September 1 of each year. The bill would require the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the California State University, to transmit a letter of direct admission to each identified pupil that notifies the pupil that they have been directly admitted, as specified.

(2)Existing law provides community college students with a transfer pathway, facilitated by mechanisms such as the associate degree for transfer (ADT), allowing students to apply academic credit earned at a community college toward receipt of a baccalaureate degree at a 4-year postsecondary educational institution. Existing law requires a student who earns an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program when the student meets certain requirements.

Existing law establishes, until July 1, 2027, the Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT and to achieve specified objectives relating to the ADT and transfer model curricula (TMCs), as specified. Existing law requires the committee, on or before December 31, 2023, to provide the Legislature with recommendations on certain issues impeding the scaling of the ADT and streamlining transfer across segments for students.

This bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish, in collaboration with the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, an intersegmental curriculum workgroup composed of community college and California State University faculty who teach in fields of study with high opportunity for social mobility for the purpose of creating no fewer than 5 TMCs that are not related to existing ADTs, as specified. Once a TMC is finalized, the bill would require community college districts to create an ADT for the finalized TMC, as specified.

(3)Existing law, until the 202627 academic year, requires the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the California State University that guarantees the students admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within 2 academic years at a California community college.

This bill would extend the above-described dual admission program until the 203536 academic year, and would instead require a student to complete an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within 3 academic years at a California community college. The bill would also require the California Community Colleges to take certain actions to promote the program.

(4)By imposing new duties on community college districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(1)Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of postsecondary education in the state.

Existing law requires the California State University to establish a model uniform set of academic standards for purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University. Under existing law, the University of California and the California State University are expected to plan that adequate spaces are available to accommodate all California resident students who are eligible and likely to apply to attend an appropriate place within the system.

This bill would establish the CSU Direct Admission Program under which a pupil graduating from a high school of a participating local educational agency is deemed eligible for enrollment into a designated California State University campus. The bill would require, upon the implementation of transcript-informed pupil accounts, the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to be used to provide the data required to determine eligibility for the program, as specified. The bill would require a participating local educational agency to identify each pupil who is eligible under the program on or before September 1 of each year. The bill would require the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the California State University, to transmit a letter of direct admission to each identified pupil that notifies the pupil that they have been directly admitted, as specified.

(2)Existing law provides community college students with a transfer pathway, facilitated by mechanisms such as the associate degree for transfer (ADT), allowing students to apply academic credit earned at a community college toward receipt of a baccalaureate degree at a 4-year postsecondary educational institution. Existing law requires a student who earns an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program when the student meets certain requirements.

Existing law establishes, until July 1, 2027, the Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT and to achieve specified objectives relating to the ADT and transfer model curricula (TMCs), as specified. Existing law requires the committee, on or before December 31, 2023, to provide the Legislature with recommendations on certain issues impeding the scaling of the ADT and streamlining transfer across segments for students.

This bill would require the committee to create office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish, in collaboration with the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, an intersegmental curriculum workgroup composed of community college and California State University faculty who teach in fields of study with high opportunity for social mobility for the purpose of creating no fewer than 5 TMCs that are not related to existing ADTs. ADTs, as specified. Once a TMC is finalized, the bill would require community college districts to create an ADT for the finalized TMC, as specified.

(3)Existing law, until the 202627 academic year, requires the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the California State University that guarantees the students admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within 2 academic years at a California community college.

This bill would extend the above-described dual admission program until the 203536 academic year, and would instead require a student to complete an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within 3 academic years at a California community college. The bill would also require the California Community Colleges to take certain actions to promote the program.

(4)By imposing new duties on community college districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(1)Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as 2 one of the segments of postsecondary education in the state.

Existing law requires the California State University to establish a model uniform set of academic standards for purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University. Under existing law, the University of California and the California State University are expected to plan that adequate spaces are available to accommodate all California resident students who are eligible and likely to apply to attend an appropriate place within the system.

This bill would establish the Automatic CSU Direct Admission Program under which a pupil graduating from a high school of a participating local educational agency, a student awarded an associate degree for transfer (ADT) from a participating community college district, or a student who completes certain transfer core curriculum courses at a participating community college district agency is deemed eligible for enrollment into a designated California State University campus. To be eligible for enrollment, the bill would require the pupil or student to complete the required courses with a grade of C or better. The bill would require, upon the implementation of transcript-informed pupil accounts, the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to be used to provide the data required to determine eligibility for the program, as specified. The bill would require a participating local educational agency or community college district to identify each pupil or student who is eligible under the program, notify each pupil or student of their eligibility, and submit a list of the eligible pupils or students to the California State University. program on or before September 1 of each year. The bill would require the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the California State University, to transmit a letter of direct admission to each identified pupil that notifies the pupil that they have been directly admitted, as specified.

(2)Existing law provides community college students with a transfer pathway, facilitated by mechanisms such as the ADT, associate degree for transfer (ADT), allowing students to apply academic credit earned at a community college toward receipt of a baccalaureate degree at a 4-year postsecondary educational institution. Existing law requires a student who earns an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program when the student meets certain requirements.

Existing law establishes, until July 1, 2027, the Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT and to achieve specified objectives relating to the ADT and transfer model curricula (TMCs), as specified. Existing law requires the committee, on or before December 31, 2023, to provide the Legislature with recommendations on certain issues impeding the scaling of the ADT and streamlining transfer across segments for students.

This bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish, in collaboration with the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, an intersegmental curriculum workgroup composed of community college and California State University faculty who teach in fields of study with high opportunity for social mobility for the purpose of creating committee to create no fewer than 5 TMCs in those fields of study, as specified. that are not related to existing ADTs. Once a TMC is finalized, the bill would require community college districts to create an ADT for the finalized TMC, as specified. By imposing new duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(1)Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as 2 of the segments of postsecondary education in the state.

Existing law requires the California State University to establish a model uniform set of academic standards for purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University. Under existing law, the University of California and the California State University are expected to plan that adequate spaces are available to accommodate all California resident students who are eligible and likely to apply to attend an appropriate place within the system.

This bill would establish the Automatic Admission Program under which a pupil graduating from a high school of a participating local educational agency, a student awarded an associate degree for transfer (ADT) from a participating community college district, or a student who completes certain transfer core curriculum courses at a participating community college district is deemed eligible for enrollment into a designated California State University campus. To be eligible for enrollment, the bill would require the pupil or student to complete the required courses with a grade of C or better. The bill would require a participating local educational agency or community college district to identify each pupil or student who is eligible under the program, notify each pupil or student of their eligibility, and submit a list of the eligible pupils or students to the California State University.

(2)Existing law provides community college students with a transfer pathway, facilitated by mechanisms such as the ADT, allowing students to apply academic credit earned at a community college toward receipt of a baccalaureate degree at a 4-year postsecondary educational institution. Existing law requires a student who earns an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program when the student meets certain requirements.

Existing law establishes, until July 1, 2027, the Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT and to achieve specified objectives relating to the ADT and transfer model curricula (TMCs), as specified. Existing law requires the committee, on or before December 31, 2023, to provide the Legislature with recommendations on certain issues impeding the scaling of the ADT and streamlining transfer across segments for students.

This bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish, in collaboration with the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, an intersegmental curriculum workgroup composed of community college and California State University faculty who teach in fields of study with high opportunity for social mobility for the purpose of creating no fewer than 5 TMCs in those fields of study, as specified. Once a TMC is finalized, the bill would require community college districts to create an ADT for the finalized TMC, as specified. By imposing new duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

 UNFINISHED BUSINESS 

Bill No: SB 640

Author: Cabaldon (D), et al.

Amended: 10/6/25

Vote: 21

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 7-0, 4/30/25

AYES: Pérez, Ochoa Bogh, Cabaldon, Choi, Cortese, Gonzalez, Laird

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 6-0, 5/23/25

AYES: Caballero, Seyarto, Cabaldon, Grayson, Richardson, Wahab

NO VOTE RECORDED: Dahle

SENATE FLOOR: 37-0, 5/28/25

AYES: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Arreguín, Ashby, Becker, Blakespear, Cabaldon, Caballero, Choi, Cortese, Dahle, Durazo, Gonzalez, Grayson, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, McGuire, McNerney, Menjivar, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Pérez, Richardson, Rubio, Seyarto, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Strickland, Umberg, Valladares, Wahab, Weber Pierson, Wiener

NO VOTE RECORDED: Cervantes, Limón, Reyes

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 80-0, 9/9/25 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: Public postsecondary education: admission, transfer, and enrollment

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill establishes the California State University (CSU) direct admission program between participating CSU campuses and local educational agencies (LEAs), and it further requires the California Community Colleges (CCC) to promote the CSU dual admission transfer program.

Assembly Amendments

of 9/2/25 remove the requirement to create transfer model curricula (TMC) and related workgroup. Amendments also require, rather than authorize, LEAs meeting certain conditions to participate in the program and clarify student eligibility.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes the CSU under the administration of the Trustees of the CSU, the University of California (UC), under the administration of the Regents of the UC, the CCC, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the CCC, and independent institutions of higher education as four segments of postsecondary education in the state. (Education Code (EC) § 66010, § 70900, § 66600, and California Constitution, Article IX, Section 9)
2. Requires, until the 2026–27 academic year, the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the CSU that guarantees the student’s admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an associate degree for transfer (ADT) or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC. (EC § 66744.1)
3. Establishes the Student Transfer Achievement Reform (STAR) Act, which, in part, requires, commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12 academic year, a student that receives an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a CSU baccalaureate degree when the student meets specified requirements. Requires a granting of this degree when a student:
   1. Completes 60 semester or 90 quarter units eligible for transfer to the CSU, and that includes the CSU General Education Breadth program for the general education transfer curricula, and a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units in a major area of emphasis as determined by the district; and,
   2. Obtains a minimum grade point average of 2.0. (EC § 66745, et seq.)
4. Establishes, until July 1, 2027, the ADT Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT. (EC § 66749.8)

This bill:

1. Establishes the CSU Direct Admission program and requires the CSU Chancellor to designate one or more CSU campuses as university participants in the program.
2. States the Legislature’s intent that the CSU Chancellor designate each CSU campus with available enrollment capacity to be a university participant.
3. Requires that the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform be used to provide the data required to determine program eligibility upon the implementation of transcript-information pupil accounts for pupils in grades 9 to 12, on the platform.
4. Requires that LEAs that have implemented a transcript-informed pupil accounts for pupils in grades 9 through 12 inclusive, to participate in the program.
5. Designates that all grade 12 pupils who are enrolled in a participating LEA as CSU applicants.
6. Requires that program eligibility include the coursework completed by the end of grade 11 and on-track completion of A-G courses with a qualifying A-G CSU grade point average.
7. Requires, by the opening of the fall semester priority application filing period of each year, the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the CSU, to transmit a letter to enrolled pupils enrolled in a participating LEA who satisfies eligibility requirements that notifies them of their direct admission. The bill requires that the letter describe the enrollment procedures the pupil needs to complete to be successfully enrolled.
8. Specifies that upon accepting an offer of admission to one of the university participants, a pupil is required to complete the necessary procedures for enrollment.
9. Modifies provisions related to the CSU dual admission transfer pathways program for first-time freshman applicants by:
   1. Extending the sunset date from the 2025-26 academic year to 2035-36 academic year.
   2. Expands the period of time from two to three years for which a student is to complete an ADT or other established course of study for transfer to be granted guaranteed admission.
   3. Requires the CCC to promote the dual admission program to new students, as specified.
10. Defines various terms for the purposes of the bill including university participant to mean a campus of the CSU that is designated to participate in the CSU Direct Admission Program.

Comments

Need for this bill. According to the author, “It should be as easy and seamless to go from 12th grade to college as it is to go from 10th grade to 11th grade. Tens of thousands of California students are fully qualified to go to CSU, but don’t jump the hurdles of the admissions process. At the same time, nearly half of CSU’s campuses have substantial available enrollment capacity and need more students to sustain their high quality academic programs. High schools and community colleges already have all the transcript information they need in order to validate that a graduating student is CSU-admissible. SB 640 seals the cracks through which too many students fall and gets a coveted letter of admission to thousands of qualified students.

“Additionally, SB 640 will enhance California’s transfer pathways by requiring the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to develop at least five Associate Degrees for Transfer in high-opportunity career fields. These pathways will ensure community college graduates transition smoothly to four-year institutions and secure well-paying jobs in innovative industries that provide for social mobility.”

Streamlining pathways for students. This bill attempts to streamline CSU admission for high school students by requiring a LEAs that have implemented transcript-informed student accounts on the state sponsored platform (CaliforniaColleges.edu) to participate in the direct admission program. Eligibility is to be based on the coursework completed by the end of grade 11 and on-track completion of A-G courses with a qualifying A-G CSU grade point average. CaliforniaColleges.edu will identify students who meet the CSU admission requirements once their transcript-informed accounts are in place. The California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the CSU, is required to transmit a letter with the Chancellor’s signature to an eligible student that they have been directly admitted into a participating CSU. Presumably, meeting the requirements for CSU admission as outlined in the bill could qualify students for admission into other CSU campus locations that are not participating in the direct admission program.

Dual Admissions. This bill additionally aims to extend and promote an existing CCC to CSU transfer program. Current law establishes the Dual Admissions Pathway at CSU for first-time freshman applicants starting in the 2023-24 through the 2025-26 academic year. The dual admission agreement guarantees that a student will 1) be admitted to their chosen campus if they complete transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC, and 2) have access to library, counseling, and other services from the CSU campus nearest to their primary residence. It further requires CSU to report by April 1, 2026, on the program, including college participants, a description of services, and information on program applicants and student outcomes. This bill extends the dual admissions program until the 2035-36 academic year and expands eligibility to students who have completed an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within three rather than two years. The bill additionally requires that the CCCs promote the CSU dual admissions program to new students each fall term.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: Yes

According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee analysis, this bill would have the following impact:

• Ongoing General Fund costs likely in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for the CSU, system wide, to provide mailers and notify students of admittance. To the extent the bill results in increased enrollments from the Direct Admissions Program costs would be lower.
• Ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund costs, up to $60,000, for the CCCs, collectively statewide, to provide specified information regarding dual admission programs to new students via orientation, campus websites, and within counseling offices and transfer centers.

SUPPORT: (Verified 9/9/25)

California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy

California State University Employees Union

Children Now

EdTrust-West

Fresno Unified School District

Rancho Santiago Community College District

1 Individual

OPPOSITION: (Verified 9/9/25)

None received

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 80-0, 9/9/25

AYES: Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, DeMaio, Dixon, Elhawary, Ellis, Flora, Fong, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Johnson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Celeste Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, Zbur, Rivas

Prepared by: Olgalilia Ramirez / ED. / (916) 651-4105

7/15/26 13:49:29

**** END ****

 UNFINISHED BUSINESS  

Bill No: SB 640

Author: Cabaldon (D), et al.

Amended: 9/2/25

Vote: 21

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 7-0, 4/30/25

AYES: Pérez, Ochoa Bogh, Cabaldon, Choi, Cortese, Gonzalez, Laird

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 6-0, 5/23/25

AYES: Caballero, Seyarto, Cabaldon, Grayson, Richardson, Wahab

NO VOTE RECORDED: Dahle

SENATE FLOOR: 37-0, 5/28/25

AYES: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Arreguín, Ashby, Becker, Blakespear, Cabaldon, Caballero, Choi, Cortese, Dahle, Durazo, Gonzalez, Grayson, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, McGuire, McNerney, Menjivar, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Pérez, Richardson, Rubio, Seyarto, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Strickland, Umberg, Valladares, Wahab, Weber Pierson, Wiener

NO VOTE RECORDED: Cervantes, Limón, Reyes

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 68-0, 9/9/25 – Roll call not available.

SUBJECT: Public postsecondary education: admission, transfer, and enrollment

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill establishes the California State University (CSU) direct admission program between participating CSU campuses and local educational agencies (LEAs), and it further requires the California Community Colleges (CCC) to promote the CSU dual admission transfer program.

Assembly Amendments

of 9/2/25 remove the requirement to create transfer model curricula (TMC) and related workgroup. Amendments also require, rather than authorize, LEAs meeting certain conditions to participate in the program and clarify student eligibility.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes the CSU under the administration of the Trustees of the CSU, the University of California (UC), under the administration of the Regents of the UC, the CCC, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the CCC, and independent institutions of higher education as four segments of postsecondary education in the state. (Education Code (EC) § 66010, § 70900, § 66600, and California Constitution, Article IX, Section 9)
2. Requires, until the 2026–27 academic year, the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the CSU that guarantees the student’s admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an associate degree for transfer (ADT) or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC. (EC § 66744.1)
3. Establishes the Student Transfer Achievement Reform (STAR) Act, which, in part, requires, commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12 academic year, a student that receives an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a CSU baccalaureate degree when the student meets specified requirements. Requires a granting of this degree when a student:
   1. Completes 60 semester or 90 quarter units eligible for transfer to the CSU, and that includes the CSU General Education Breadth program for the general education transfer curricula, and a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units in a major area of emphasis as determined by the district; and,
   2. Obtains a minimum grade point average of 2.0. (EC § 66745, et seq.)
4. Establishes, until July 1, 2027, the ADT Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT. (EC § 66749.8)

This bill:

1. Establishes the CSU Direct Admission program and requires the CSU Chancellor to designate one or more CSU campuses as university participants in the program.
2. States the Legislature’s intent that the CSU Chancellor designate each CSU campus with available enrollment capacity to be a university participant.
3. Requires that the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform be used to provide the data required to determine program eligibility upon the implementation of transcript-information pupil accounts for pupils in grades 9 to 12, on the platform.
4. Requires that LEAs that have implemented a transcript-informed pupil accounts for pupils in grades 9 through 12 inclusive, to participate in the program.
5. Designates that all grade 12 pupils who are enrolled in a participating LEA as CSU applicants.
6. Requires that program eligibility include the coursework completed by the end of grade 11 and on-track completion of A-G courses with a qualifying A-G CSU grade point average.
7. Requires, by the opening of the fall semester priority application filing period of each year, the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the CSU, to transmit a letter to enrolled pupils enrolled in a participating LEA who satisfies eligibility requirements that notifies them of their direct admission. The bill requires that the letter describe the enrollment procedures the pupil needs to complete to be successfully enrolled.
8. Specifies that upon accepting an offer of admission to one of the university participants, a pupil is required to complete the necessary procedures for enrollment.
9. Modifies provisions related to the CSU dual admission transfer pathways program for first-time freshman applicants by:
   1. Extending the sunset date from the 2025-26 academic year to 2035-36 academic year.
   2. Expands the period of time from two to three years for which a student is to complete an ADT or other established course of study for transfer to be granted guaranteed admission.
   3. Requires the CCC to promote the dual admission program to new students, as specified.
10. Defines various terms for the purposes of the bill including university participant to mean a campus of the CSU that is designated to participate in the CSU Direct Admission Program.

Comments

Need for this bill. According to the author, “It should be as easy and seamless to go from 12th grade to college as it is to go from 10th grade to 11th grade. Tens of thousands of California students are fully qualified to go to CSU, but don’t jump the hurdles of the admissions process. At the same time, nearly half of CSU’s campuses have substantial available enrollment capacity and need more students to sustain their high quality academic programs. High schools and community colleges already have all the transcript information they need in order to validate that a graduating student is CSU-admissible. SB 640 seals the cracks through which too many students fall and gets a coveted letter of admission to thousands of qualified students.

“Additionally, SB 640 will enhance California’s transfer pathways by requiring the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to develop at least five Associate Degrees for Transfer in high-opportunity career fields. These pathways will ensure community college graduates transition smoothly to four-year institutions and secure well-paying jobs in innovative industries that provide for social mobility.”

Streamlining pathways for students. This bill attempts to streamline CSU admission for high school students by requiring a LEAs that have implemented transcript-informed student accounts on the state sponsored platform (CaliforniaColleges.edu) to participate in the direct admission program. Eligibility is to be based on the coursework completed by the end of grade 11 and on-track completion of A-G courses with a qualifying A-G CSU grade point average. CaliforniaColleges.edu will identify students who meet the CSU admission requirements once their transcript-informed accounts are in place. The California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the CSU, is required to transmit a letter with the Chancellor’s signature to an eligible student that they have been directly admitted into a participating CSU. Presumably, meeting the requirements for CSU admission as outlined in the bill could qualify students for admission into other CSU campus locations that are not participating in the direct admission program.

Dual Admissions. This bill additionally aims to extend and promote an existing CCC to CSU transfer program. Current law establishes the Dual Admissions Pathway at CSU for first-time freshman applicants starting in the 2023-24 through the 2025-26 academic year. The dual admission agreement guarantees that a student will 1) be admitted to their chosen campus if they complete transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC, and 2) have access to library, counseling, and other services from the CSU campus nearest to their primary residence. It further requires CSU to report by April 1, 2026, on the program, including college participants, a description of services, and information on program applicants and student outcomes. This bill extends the dual admissions program until the 2035-36 academic year and expands eligibility to students who have completed an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within three rather than two years. The bill additionally requires that the CCCs promote the CSU dual admissions program to new students each fall term.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: Yes

According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee analysis, this bill would have the following impact:

• Ongoing General Fund costs likely in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for the CSU, system wide, to provide mailers and notify students of admittance. To the extent the bill results in increased enrollments from the Direct Admissions Program costs would be lower.
• Ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund costs, up to $60,000, for the CCCs, collectively statewide, to provide specified information regarding dual admission programs to new students via orientation, campus websites, and within counseling offices and transfer centers.

SUPPORT: (Verified 9/9/25)

California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy

California State University Employees Union

Children Now

EdTrust-West

Fresno Unified School District

Rancho Santiago Community College District

1 Individual

OPPOSITION: (Verified 9/9/25)

None received

Prepared by: Olgalilia Ramirez / ED. / (916) 651-4105

9/9/25 17:06:56

**** END ****

SENATE THIRD READING

STR Bill Id:SB 640

Author:(Cabaldon)

As Amended Ver:September 02, 2025

Majority vote

SUMMARY

Establishes the California State University (CSU) direct admission program between participating CSU campuses and local educational agencies (LEAs). It further requires the California Community Colleges (CCC) to promote the CSU dual admission transfer program.

Major Provisions

1. Establishes the CSU Direct Admission program and requires the CSU Chancellor to designate one or more CSU campuses as university participants in the program.
2. States the Legislature's intent that the CSU Chancellor designate each CSU campus with available enrollment capacity to be a university participant.
3. Requires that LEAs that have implemented a transcript-informed pupil accounts for pupils in grades nine through 12 inclusive, to participate in the program.
4. Requires that the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform be used to provide the data required to determine program eligibility upon the implementation of transcript-information pupil accounts for pupils in grades nine through 12, on the platform.
5. Provides all grade 12 pupils who are enrolled in a participating LEA are designated as CSU applicants.
6. Requires, on or before the priority application filing period each year, the CSU must send a direct admissions letter to each eligible student notifying them they have been directly admitted and describe the enrollment procedure necessary to enroll.
7. Specifies that upon accepting an offer of admission to one of the university participants, a pupil is required to complete the necessary procedures for enrollment.
8. Modifies provisions related to the CSU dual admission transfer pathways program for first-time freshman applicants by:
   1. Extending the sunset date from the 2025-26 academic year to 2035-36 academic year;
   2. Expands the period of time from two to three years for which a student is to complete an ADT or other established course of study for transfer to be granted guaranteed admission; and,
   3. Requires the CCC to promote the dual admission program to new students, as specified.
9. Defines various terms for the purposes of the bill including university participant to mean a campus of the CSU that is designated to participate in the CSU Direct Admission Program.

COMMENTS

Establishment of associate degree for transfer (ADTs). Enacted over a decade ago, the ADT was designed to simplify the transfer maze at CCC. Since its enactment, the ADT has made significant strides in streamlining the transfer process for students, and has become a successful pathway to earning a bachelor's degree. The ADT is a two-year, 60-unit degree that guarantees admission to the CSU and participating private institutions of higher education. Students who earn an ADT are automatically eligible to transfer as an upper-division student in a bachelor's degree program and need only complete two additional years (an additional 60 units) of coursework to earn a bachelor's degree.

Community college transfer. The transfer function is an essential component of the commitment to access. The UC and CSU are to establish a lower division to upper division ratio of 40:60 in order to provide transfer opportunities into the upper division for community college students. The goal was that the UC and CSU would enroll at least one community college transfer student for each two freshmen enrolled. All eligible CCC transfer students are to be provided a place in upper division courses for their major and are to be given priority over freshmen in the admissions process.

National trends. More and more states are seeking to reduce the stress of high schools students by informing them that they have guaranteed admission to various state colleges and universities before students apply. States have shared that the intent of this "direct or promised admission" is to keep talent close to home and to develop an educated workforce. This admission process is a model that, in part, matches students with local colleges and universities based on their grades and informs them of their options, whether career education, a bachelor's degree, or both is indeed attainable.

The number of state-run direct admissions programs has grown significantly from one state in 2015, to over a dozen in 2025. States with these programs include, Idaho (the first in the nation), Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington, Indiana, Hawaii, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Utah, Illinois, Texas, New York, and Oregon. Five of the aforementioned states adopted the policy just last year.

Several other states have introduced legislation this year, including Arkansas, or have plans to create pilot programs. Additionally, while this State does not have a statewide direct admission program, the CSU currently has a direct admission pilot program with 10 of the 23 CSU campuses.

CSU Direct Admission Pilot Program. As noted in the National trends section of this analysis, the CSU is currently piloting a direct admission program. The CSU, in partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) established the first partnership within the direct admission pilot program. According to a March 28, 2025, Cal Matters article, entitled, "No need to apply: Cal State is automatically admitting high school students with good grades," over 17,000 high school seniors attending high schools within RCOE, in fall of 2024, received a congratulatory note indicating that due to their GPA and because of their particular high schools, they were automatically admitted to one of 10 CSU campuses of the students' choice.

According to the CSU's October 23, 2024, Press Release, entitled, "CSU Partners with Riverside County to Launch First-Ever Direct Admission Pilot," the qualifying high school seniors in RCOE had to be on track to meet college preparatory courses (A-G requirements) and the direct admission offer is a conditional admission to one of the 10 CSU campuses by way of a brochure mailed to their home address. Students will then use the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to select their preferred CSU campuses, with official acceptance letters to be sent directly from the various participating CSU campuses.

The current CSU campuses that students can attend include: CSU Channel Islands, Chico State, Cal State East Bay, Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo – Solano Campus (previously was Cal Maritime), Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State San Bernardino, CSU San Marcos, San Francisco State, and Sonoma State.

Per the CSU, in the October 2024 CSU Press Release, "we are excited to provide a direct pathway to higher education for thousands of high school students across Riverside County, we want students to know that the door to college opportunity is open to them, and to help relieve some of the stress and uncertainty about applying for college. Riverside County is an excellent location for this first-ever program for the CSU, as it is ethnically and economically representative of the diversity of California, and many of the students the CSU is so proud to serve."

This measure appears to build off of the West Sacramento Home Run Program (a program that provides access to high-quality early learning for all children, opportunities to develop valuable workplace skills, and financial assistance for postsecondary education and training) and the CSU's direct admission pilot program in RCOE.

Dual admission. This measure aims to extend and promote an existing CCC to CSU transfer program. Current law establishes the Dual Admissions Pathway at CSU for first-time freshman applicants starting in the 2023-24 through the 2025-26 academic year. The dual admission agreement guarantees that a student will: 1) be admitted to their chosen campus if they complete transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC; and, 2) have access to a library, counseling, and other services from the CSU campus nearest to their primary residence. Further, it requires CSU to report by April 1, 2026, on the program including college participants, a description of services, and information on program applicants and student outcomes.

This measure extends the dual admissions program until the 2035-36 academic year and expands eligibility to students who have completed an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within three rather than two years.

Additionally, this measure requires that the CCCs take the following actions in order to promote the CSU dual admissions program:

1. Share information about the program at new student orientation;
2. Provide information about the program through an annual email to the new students for each incoming fall term;
3. Post information about the program in an easily identifiable and accessible format on the campus website; and,
4. Post information about the program in counseling offices and transfer centers.

According to the Author

According to the author, "it should be as easy and seamless to go from 12th grade to the next step as it is to go from 10th grade to 11th grade. Tens of thousands of California students are fully qualified to go to CSU, but don't jump the hurdles of the admissions process. At the same time, nearly half of CSU's campuses have substantial available enrollment capacity and need more students to sustain their high quality academic programs. High schools already have all the transcript information they need in order to validate that a graduating student is CSU-admissible. SB 640 seals the cracks through which too many students fall and gets a coveted letter of admission to thousands of qualified students."

Further, the author contends that, "SB 640 helps eliminate barriers to higher education for students who may be the first in their families to attend college by removing the need to navigate a complex and intimidating application process. Many first-generation students face significant obstacles, such as lack of college guidance, unfamiliarity with admissions procedures, and inability to pay application fees, that discourage them from applying, even when they are qualified."

Arguments in Support

According to Children Now, "the college application and admissions process is daunting for even the most informed students attending well-resourced high schools and while the transfer process from the CCC to the CSU has improved, more needs to be done to mitigate the often-insurmountable barriers to attending college. Establishing a direct admission process and eliminating the need for an application for CSU eligible students would remove unnecessary hurdles that limit access to the CSU. Expanding and extending the use of the dual admissions process would do the same for CCC students and creating TMCs that offer greater social mobility will increase the value and utility of attending a community college and earning a CCC degree or credential."

Arguments in Opposition

None on file.

FISCAL COMMENTS

According to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations:

1. Ongoing General Fund costs likely in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for the CSU, systemwide, to provide mailers and notify students of admittance. To the extent the bill results in increased enrollments from the Direct Admissions Program costs would be lower.
2. Ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund costs, up to $60,000, for the CCCs, collectively statewide, to provide specified information regarding dual admission programs to new students via orientation, campus websites, and within counseling offices and transfer centers.

VOTES

SENATE FLOOR: 37-0-3

YES: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Arreguín, Ashby, Becker, Blakespear, Cabaldon, Caballero, Choi, Cortese, Dahle, Durazo, Gonzalez, Grayson, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, McGuire, McNerney, Menjivar, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Pérez, Richardson, Rubio, Seyarto, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Strickland, Umberg, Valladares, Wahab, Weber Pierson, Wiener

ABS, ABST OR NV: Cervantes, Limón, Reyes

ASM HIGHER EDUCATION: 10-0-0

YES: Fong, DeMaio, Boerner, Jeff Gonzalez, Jackson, Muratsuchi, Patel, Celeste Rodriguez, Sharp-Collins, Tangipa

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 11-0-4

YES: Wicks, Arambula, Calderon, Caloza, Elhawary, Fong, Mark González, Ahrens, Pacheco, Pellerin, Solache

ABS, ABST OR NV: Sanchez, Dixon, Ta, Tangipa

UPDATED

VERSION: September 02, 2025

CONSULTANT: Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960 FN: 0001409

Date of Hearing: August 20, 2025

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Buffy Wicks, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 640

Author:(Cabaldon) – As Amended Ver:June 19, 2025

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: Yes

SUMMARY:

This bill establishes the California State University (CSU) Direct Admission Program (program) between participating CSU campuses and local educational agencies (K-12). The bill also requires the California Community Colleges (CCCs) to promote the existing CSU dual admission transfer program and establishes a workgroup to create five or more transfer model curricula (TMC) unrelated to existing Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT).

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. Ongoing General Fund costs likely in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for the CSU, system wide, to provide mailers and notify students of admittance. To the extent the bill results in increased enrollments from the Direct Admissions Program costs would be lower.
2. Ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund costs, up to $60,000, for the CCCs, collectively statewide, to provide specified information regarding dual admission programs to new students via orientation, campus websites, and within counseling offices and transfer centers.
3. One-time General Fund costs for the CCC Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) of up to $84,000 to convene an intersegmental workgroup to develop five TMCs.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. According to the author:

It should be as easy and seamless to go from 12th grade to the next step as it is to go from 10th grade to 11th grade. Tens of thousands of California students are fully qualified to go to CSU, but don’t jump the hurdles of the admissions process. At the same time, nearly half of CSU’s campuses have substantial available enrollment capacity and need more students to sustain their high quality academic programs. High schools already have all the transcript information they need in order to validate that a graduating student is CSU-admissible. SB 640 seals the cracks through which too many students fall and gets a coveted letter of admission to thousands of qualified students.

1. Background. ADT and TMCs. Enacted to simplify the transfer process for CCC students wishing to attend a four-year university after completing coursework at a CCC, the ADT has become a successful pathway for students to earn a bachelor’s degree. Completion of an ADT provides a student with a two-year, 60-unit degree guaranteeing them admission to the CSU and participating private universities. The process for establishing an ADT requires developing a structure—known as a TM—for the central component or emphasis of the associate degree. A TMC undergoes intersegmental vetting and statewide adoption before then being disseminated across the CCCs, subject to individual campus approval by the CCCCO. This bill establishes a workgroup to create at least five new TMCs for fields of study with high opportunity for social mobility not related to existing ADTs.

Dual Admission. Current law establishes the Dual Admissions Pathway at CSU campuses for first-time freshman applicants for the 2023-24 through 2025-26 academic years. This program guarantees a student admission to their chosen campus if they complete transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC, and access to a library, counseling, and other services from the CSU campus nearest to the student’s primary residence. The bill extends this pathway until the 2035-36 academic year and expands eligibility to include a student who has completed an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within three rather than two years.

Direct Admission. In the fall of 2024, 10 CSU campuses partnered with Riverside county office of education to create a direct admission pilot program to all higher school seniors attending high schools within Riverside County. High school seniors on track to satisfy college preparatory course requirements and meeting a GPA minimum received a congratulatory note indicating they were automatically admitted to one of the 10 participating CSU campuses of their choice. This bill establishes the CSU Direct Admission Program requiring the Chancellor of the CSU to designate one or more CSU campuses to participate and provide direct admission and enrollment instructions for participating campuses to qualifying high school seniors.

Analysis Prepared by: Aaron Heredia / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: July 8, 2025

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Mike Fong, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 640

Author:(Cabaldon) – As Amended Ver:June 19, 2025

SENATE VOTE: 37-0

SUBJECT: Public postsecondary education: admission, transfer, and enrollment.

SUMMARY: Establishes the California State University (CSU) direct admission program between participating CSU campuses and local educational agencies (LEAs). It further requires the California Community Colleges (CCC) to promote the CSU dual admission transfer program and requires the creation of at least five transfer model curricula (TMC) that are unrelated to existing Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT). Specifically, this bill:

1. Establishes the CSU Direct Admission program and requires the CSU Chancellor to designate one or more CSU campuses as university participants in the program.
2. States the Legislature’s intent that the CSU Chancellor designate each CSU campus with available enrollment capacity to be a university participant.
3. Requires that LEAs that have implemented a transcript-informed pupil accounts for pupils in grades 9 through 12 inclusive, to participate in the program.
4. Requires that the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform be used to provide the data required to determine program eligibility upon the implementation of transcript-information pupil accounts for pupils in grades 9 through 12, on the platform.
5. Provides all grade 12 pupils who are enrolled in a participating LEA are designated as CSU applicants.
6. Requires, on or before the priority application filing period each year, the CSU must send a direct admissions letter to each eligible student notifying them they have been directly admitted and describe the enrollment procedure necessary to enroll.
7. Specifies that upon accepting an offer of admission to one of the university participants, a pupil is required to complete the necessary procedures for enrollment.
8. Modifies provisions related to the CSU dual admission transfer pathways program for first-time freshman applicants by:
   1. Extending the sunset date from the 2025-26 academic year to 2035-36 academic year;
   2. Expands the period of time from two to three years for which a student is to complete an ADT or other established course of study for transfer to be granted guaranteed admission; and,
   3. Requires the CCC to promote the dual admission program to new students, as specified.
9. Requires the CCC Chancellor to establish, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for CCCs and the CSU, an intersegmental curriculum workgroup to be composed of CCC and CSU faculty who teach courses in fields of study with high opportunity for social mobility for purposes of creating no fewer than five TMCs that are not related to existing ADTs, in collaboration with the CCC Academic Senate.
10. Requires that the workgroup, once the TMC is finalized, to submit it to the CCC Chancellor’s Office and make the TMC available to community college districts and requires the community college district.
11. Requires, if an ADT is created by a community college district based on a TMC finalized and made available each CSU campus to determine if there is a baccalaureate degree in a similar major to the TMC. The determination of similarity is to ensure that the students who earn the ADT that is created under the parameters of the TMC are guaranteed admission in that similar major at a CSU campus offering that major and be required to complete no more than 60 units after transfer to earn baccalaureate degree that is deemed similar to the ADT major if the students stays on that ADT pathway.
12. Defines various terms for the purposes of the bill including university participant to mean a campus of the CSU that is designated to participate in the CSU Direct Admission Program.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the Donahoe Higher Education Act, setting forth the mission of the UC, CSU, and CCC; and, defines "independent institutions of higher education" as nonpublic higher education institutions that grant undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, or both, and that are formed as nonprofit corporations in California and are accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (Education Code (EC) Section 66010, et seq.).
2. Requires, until the 2026–27 academic year, the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the CSU that guarantees the student’s admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC (EC Section 66744.1).
3. Establishes the Student Transfer Achievement Reform (STAR) Act, which, in part, requires, commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12 academic year, a student that receives an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a CSU baccalaureate degree when the student meets specified requirements. Requires a granting of this degree when a student:
   1. Completes 60 semester or 90 quarter units eligible for transfer to the CSU, and that includes the CSU General Education Breadth program for the general education transfer curricula, and a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units in a major area of emphasis as determined by the district; and,
   2. Obtains a minimum grade point average of 2.0 (EC Section 66745, et seq.).
4. Establishes, until July 1, 2027, the ADT Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT (EC 66749.8).

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Committee on Appropriations:

1. The Chancellor’s Office [CCC] estimates ongoing costs of up to $57,500 for community colleges to provide specified information regarding the dual admissions program during new student orientations, campus websites, and within counseling offices and transfer centers.
2. The Chancellor’s Office [CCC] estimates one-time General Fund workload costs of between $19,000 and $84,000 to convene an intersegmental curriculum workgroup to develop five TMCs.
3. The CSU estimates systemwide costs in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to provide mailers and notify students of their admittance to a CSU.

COMMENTS: Purpose of the measure. According to the author, “it should be as easy and seamless to go from 12th grade to the next step as it is to go from 10th grade to 11th grade. Tens of thousands of California students are fully qualified to go to CSU, but don’t jump the hurdles of the admissions process. At the same time, nearly half of CSU’s campuses have substantial available enrollment capacity and need more students to sustain their high quality academic programs. High schools already have all the transcript information they need in order to validate that a graduating student is CSU-admissible. SB 640 seals the cracks through which too many students fall and gets a coveted letter of admission to thousands of qualified students.”

Further, the author contends that, “SB 640 helps eliminate barriers to higher education for students who may be the first in their families to attend college by removing the need to navigate a complex and intimidating application process. Many first-generation students face significant obstacles, such as lack of college guidance, unfamiliarity with admissions procedures, and inability to pay application fees, that discourage them from applying, even when they are qualified.”

Transfer Model Curricula (TMC). The Academic Senates for CCC and CSU developed a faculty-led, statewide, concerted effort to identify the course content for new ADT. The process of creating an ADT begins with developing a structure for the central component (i.e., major or area of emphasis) of an associate degree. This faculty-developed structure, known as a TMC, is vetted intersegmentally and adopted statewide and is then used by the CCC Chancellor’s Office to create a template (Chancellor’s Office Template or COT) that local colleges complete when submitting their TMC-aligned degrees to the Chancellor’s Office for approval. As such, the process begins with statewide faculty development of a TMC and ends with local implementation of that TMC in the form of an ADT. This measure would require the creation of no fewer than five TMCs for a field of study with high opportunity for social mobility that is not related to existing ADTs.

Establishment of ADTs. Enacted over a decade ago, the ADT was designed to simplify the transfer maze at CCC. Since its enactment, the ADT has made significant strides in streamlining the transfer process for students, and has become a successful pathway to earning a bachelor's degree. The ADT is a two-year, 60-unit degree that guarantees admission to the CSU and participating private institutions of higher education. Students who earn an ADT are automatically eligible to transfer as an upper-division student in a bachelor's degree program and need only complete two additional years (an additional 60 units) of coursework to earn a bachelor's degree.

Community college transfer. The transfer function is an essential component of the commitment to access. The UC and CSU are to establish a lower division to upper division ratio of 40:60 in order to provide transfer opportunities into the upper division for community college students. The goal was that the UC and CSU would enroll at least one community college transfer student for each two freshmen enrolled. All eligible CCC transfer students are to be provided a place in upper division courses for their major and are to be given priority over freshmen in the admissions process.

National trends. More and more states are seeking to reduce the stress of high schools students by informing them that they have guaranteed admission to various state colleges and universities before students apply. States have shared that the intent of this “direct or promised admission” is to keep talent close to home and to develop an educated workforce. This admission process is a model that, in part, matches students with local colleges and universities based on their grades and informs them of their options, whether career education, a bachelor’s degree, or both is indeed attainable.

The number of state-run direct admissions programs has grown significantly from one state in 2015, to over a dozen in 2025. States with these programs include, Idaho (the first in the nation), Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington, Indiana, Hawaii, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Utah, Illinois, Texas, New York, and Oregon. Five of the aforementioned states adopted the policy just last year.

Committee Staff understands that several other states have introduced legislation this year, including Arkansas, or have plans to create pilot programs. Additionally, while this State does not have a statewide direct admission program, the CSU currently has a direct admission pilot program with 10 of the 23 CSU campuses.

CSU Direct Admission Pilot Program. As noted in the National trends section of this analysis, the CSU is currently piloting a direct admission program. The CSU, in partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) established the first partnership within the direct admission pilot program. According to a March 28, 2025, Cal Matters article, entitled, “No need to apply: Cal State is automatically admitting high school students with good grades,” over 17,000 high school seniors attending high schools within RCOE, in fall of 2024, received a congratulatory note indicating that due to their GPA and because of their particular high schools, they were automatically admitted to one of 10 CSU campuses of the students’ choice.

According to the CSU’s October 23, 2024, Press Release, entitled, “CSU Partners with Riverside County to Launch First-Ever Direct Admission Pilot,” the qualifying high school seniors in RCOE had to be on track to meet college preparatory courses (A-G requirements) and the direct admission offer is a conditional admission to one of the 10 CSU campuses by way of a brochure mailed to their home address. Students will then use the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to select their preferred CSU campuses, with official acceptance letters to be sent directly from the various participating CSU campuses.

The current CSU campuses that students can attend include: CSU Channel Islands, Chico State, Cal State East Bay, Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo – Solano Campus (previously was Cal Maritime), Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State San Bernardino, CSU San Marcos, San Francisco State, and Sonoma State.

Per the CSU, in the October 2024 CSU Press Release, “we are excited to provide a direct pathway to higher education for thousands of high school students across Riverside County, we want students to know that the door to college opportunity is open to them, and to help relieve some of the stress and uncertainty about applying for college. Riverside County is an excellent location for this first-ever program for the CSU, as it is ethnically and economically representative of the diversity of California, and many of the students the CSU is so proud to serve.”

This measure appears to build off of the West Sacramento Home Run Program (a program that provides access to high-quality early learning for all children, opportunities to develop valuable workplace skills, and financial assistance for postsecondary education and training) and the CSU's direct admission pilot program in RCOE.

Dual admission. This measure aims to extend and promote an existing CCC to CSU transfer program. Current law establishes the Dual Admissions Pathway at CSU for first-time freshman applicants starting in the 2023-24 through the 2025-26 academic year. The dual admission agreement guarantees that a student will: 1) be admitted to their chosen campus if they complete transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC; and, 2) have access to a library, counseling, and other services from the CSU campus nearest to their primary residence. Further, it requires CSU to report by April 1, 2026, on the program including college participants, a description of services, and information on program applicants and student outcomes.

This measure extends the dual admissions program until the 2035-36 academic year and expands eligibility to students who have completed an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within three rather than two years.

Additionally, this measure requires that the CCCs take the following actions in order to promote the CSU dual admissions program:

1. Share information about the program at new student orientation;
2. Provide information about the program through an annual email to the new students for each incoming fall term;
3. Post information about the program in an easily identifiable and accessible format on the campus website; and,
4. Post information about the program in counseling offices and transfer centers.

Arguments in support. According to Children Now, “the college application and admissions process is daunting for even the most informed students attending well-resourced high schools and while the transfer process from the CCC to the CSU has improved, more needs to be done to mitigate the often-insurmountable barriers to attending college. Establishing a direct admission process and eliminating the need for an application for CSU eligible students would remove unnecessary hurdles that limit access to the CSU. Expanding and extending the use of the dual admissions process would do the same for CCC students and creating TMCs that offer greater social mobility will increase the value and utility of attending a community college and earning a CCC degree or credential.”

Prior legislation. AB 928 (Berman), Chapter 566, Statutes of 2021, which, in part, requires the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) to jointly establish a singular lower division general education (GE) pathway for transfer admission into both segments; requires California Community Colleges (CCC) to place students who declare a goal of transfer on an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) pathway for their intended major; and, establishes the ADT Intersegmental Implementation Committee (ADT IIC) to serve as the primary entity charged with oversight of the ADT.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

American Association of University Women - California
California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy
California State University Employees Union (CSUEU)
Children Now
EdTrust-West
Fresno Unified School District
Los Angeles Community College District
Los Angeles Unified School District
Partnership for Los Angeles Schools
United Way California Capital Region

Opposition

None on file.

Analysis Prepared by: Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: SB 640

Author: Cabaldon (D), et al.

Amended: 5/23/25

Vote: 21

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 7-0, 4/30/25

AYES: Pérez, Ochoa Bogh, Cabaldon, Choi, Cortese, Gonzalez, Laird

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 6-0, 5/23/25

AYES: Caballero, Seyarto, Cabaldon, Grayson, Richardson, Wahab

NO VOTE RECORDED: Dahle

SUBJECT: Public postsecondary education: admission, transfer, and enrollment

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill establishes the California State University (CSU) direct admission program between participating CSU campuses and local educational agencies (LEAs). It further requires the California Community Colleges (CCC) to promote the CSU dual admission transfer program and requires the creation of at least five transfer model curricula (TMC) that are unrelated to existing Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT).

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes the CSU under the administration of the Trustees of the CSU, the University of California (UC), under the administration of the Regents of the UC, the CCC, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the CCC, and independent institutions of higher education as four segments of postsecondary education in the state. (Education Code (EC) § 66010, § 70900, § 66600, and California Constitution, Article IX, Section 9)
2. Requires, until the 2026–27 academic year, the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the CSU that guarantees the student’s admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC. (EC § 66744.1)
3. Establishes the Student Transfer Achievement Reform (STAR) Act, which, in part, requires, commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12 academic year, a student that receives an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a CSU baccalaureate degree when the student meets specified requirements. Requires a granting of this degree when a student:
   1. Completes 60 semester or 90 quarter units eligible for transfer to the CSU, and that includes the CSU General Education Breadth program for the general education transfer curricula, and a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units in a major area of emphasis as determined by the district; and,
   2. Obtains a minimum grade point average of 2.0. (EC § 66745, et seq.)
4. Establishes, until July 1, 2027, the ADT Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT. (EC § 66749.8)

This bill:

1. Establishes the CSU Direct Admission program and requires the CSU Chancellor to designate one or more CSU campuses as university participants in the program.
2. States the Legislature’s intent that the CSU Chancellor designate each CSU campus with available enrollment capacity to be a university participant.
3. Authorizes the governing board or body of a LEA to authorize the LEA to participate in the program.
4. Requires a participating LEA to notify the CSU Chancellor by February 1 of the prior academic year if the LEA intends to participate in the program.
5. Requires that the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform be used to provide the data required to determine program eligibility upon the implementation of transcript-information pupil accounts for pupils in grades 9 to 12, on the platform.
6. Requires that program eligibility be based on the coursework completed by the end of grade 11 and on-track completion of A-G courses with a qualifying A-G CSU grade point average.
7. Requires, by September 1 of each year, a participating LEA to identify each pupil who is deemed eligible for the program.
8. Requires, by September 1 of each year, the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the CSU, to transmit a letter to identified pupils that notifies them of their direct admission. The bill requires that the letter describe the enrollment procedures the pupil needs to complete to be successfully enroll.
9. Specifies that upon accepting an offer of admission to one of the university participants, a pupil is required to complete the necessary procedures for enrollment.
10. Modifies provisions related to the CSU dual admission transfer pathways program for first-time freshman applicants by:
    1. Extending the sunset date from the 2025-26 academic year to 2035-36 academic year.
    2. Expands the period of time from two to three years for which a student is to complete an ADT or other established course of study for transfer to be granted guaranteed admission.
    3. Requires the CCC to promote the dual admission program to new students, as specified.

1. Requires the CCC Chancellor to establish, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for CCCs and the CSU, an intersegmental curriculum workgroup to be composed of CCC and CSU faculty who each courses in fields of study with high opportunity for social mobility for purposes of creating no fewer then five TMCs that are not related to existing ADTs, in collaboration with the CCC Academic Senate.
2. Requires that the workgroup, once the TMC is finalized, to submit it to the CCC Chancellor’s Office and make the TMC available to community college districts and requires the community college district.
3. Requires, if an ADT is created by a community college district based on a TMC finalized and made available each CSU campus determine if there is a baccalaureate degree in a similar major to the TMC. The determination of similarity is to ensure that the students who earn the ADT that is created under the parameters of the TMC are guaranteed admission in that similar major at a CSU campus offering that major and be required to complete no more than 60 units after transfer to earn baccalaureate degree that is deemed similar to the ADT major if the students stays on that ADT pathway.
4. Defines various terms for the purposes of the bill including university participant to mean a campus of the CSU that is designated to participate in the CSU Direct Admission Program.

Comments

1. Need for the bill. According to the author, “It should be as easy and seamless to go from 12th grade to college as it is to go from 10th grade to 11th grade. Tens of thousands of California students are fully qualified to go to CSU, but don’t jump the hurdles of the admissions process. At the same time, nearly half of CSU’s campuses have substantial available enrollment capacity and need more students to sustain their high quality academic programs. High schools and community colleges already have all the transcript information they need in order to validate that a graduating student is CSU-admissible. SB 640 seals the cracks through which too many students fall and gets a coveted letter of admission to thousands of qualified students.

“Additionally, SB 640 will enhance California’s transfer pathways by requiring the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to develop at least five Associate Degrees for Transfer in high-opportunity career fields. These pathways will ensure community college graduates transition smoothly to four-year institutions and secure well-paying jobs in innovative industries that provide for social mobility.”

1. Streamlining pathways for students. This bill attempts to streamline CSU admission for high school students by requiring a LEA that has elected to participate to identify eligible pupils for the proposed direct admission program. Eligibility is to be based on the coursework completed by the end of grade 11 and on-track completion of A-G courses with a qualifying A-G CSU grade point average. CaliforniaColleges.edu will identify students who meet the CSU admission requirements once their transcript-informed accounts are in place. The California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the CSU, is required to transmit a letter with the Chancellor’s signature to an eligible student that they have been directly admitted into a participating CSU. Presumably, meeting the requirements for CSU admission as outlined in the bill could qualify students for admissions into other CSU campus locations that are not participating in the direct admission program.
2. Dual Admissions. This bill additionally aims to extend and promote an existing CCC to CSU transfer program. Current law establishes the Dual Admissions Pathway at CSU for first-time freshman applicants starting in the 2023-24 through the 2025-26 academic year. The dual admission agreement guarantees that a student will 1) be admitted to their chosen campus if they complete transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC, and 2) have access to library, counseling, and other services from the CSU campus nearest to their primary residence. It further requires CSU to report by April 1, 2026, on the program, including college participants, a description of services, and information on program applicants and student outcomes. This bill extends the dual admissions program until the 2035-36 academic year and expands eligibility to students who have completed an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within three rather than two years. The bill additionally requires that the CCCs promote the CSU dual admissions program to new students each fall term.
3. Benefits of ADT pathways for students. In an effort to address standing issues and concerns about the need to ensure a clearer, transparent, and more navigable transfer process between the CCC and the CSU, the Legislature and Governor enacted SB 1440 (Padilla, Chapter 428, Statutes of 2010), the STAR Act. Since its enactment, the ADT has made significant strides in streamlining the transfer process for students and has become a successful pathway to earning a bachelor’s degree. Specifically, the Act requires CCC districts to develop and grant a transfer associate degree that deems the student eligible for transfer into the CSU when the student meets certain course requirements. Completion of an ADT guarantees a student:

• Admission with junior status to a CSU campus but not to a specific campus or major.
• No additional lower-division CSU coursework.
• No more than 60-semester units of upper-division CSU coursework to complete a bachelor’s degree, in addition to the 60 units completed at community college, results in a 120-unit pathway to a bachelor’s degree.
• Priority admission at CSU.

Additionally, since developing the ADT, the CCC system has also entered into new transfer agreements with the UC and private nonprofit universities, some of which now also guarantee admission and junior standing to students with an ADT. In October 2020, it was reported that over 280,000 CCC students have earned an ADT since implementation in 2012, and over 40 ADT pathways exist at CCC.

1. Transfer Model Curricula. The Academic Senates for CCC and CSU developed a faculty-led, statewide, concerted effort to identify the course content for new ADT. The process of creating an ADT begins with developing a structure for the central component (i.e., major or area of emphasis) of an associate degree. This faculty-developed structure, known as a TMC, is vetted intersegmentally and adopted statewide and is then used by the CCC Chancellor’s Office to create a template (Chancellor’s Office Template or COT) that local colleges complete when submitting their TMC-aligned degrees to the Chancellor’s Office for approval. As such, the process begins with statewide faculty development of a TMC and ends with local implementation of that TMC in the form of an ADT. This measure would require the creation of no fewer than five TMCs for a field of study with high opportunity for social mobility that is not related to existing ADTs.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: Yes

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee analysis, this bill would have the following fiscal impact:

• The Chancellor’s Office estimates ongoing costs of up to $57,500 for community colleges to provide specified information regarding the dual admissions program during new student orientations, campus websites, and within counseling offices and transfer centers.
• The Chancellor’s Office estimates one-time General Fund workload costs of between $19,000 and $84,000 to convene an intersegmental curriculum workgroup to develop five TMCs.
• The CSU estimates systemwide costs in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to provide mailers and notify students of their admittance to a CSU.

SUPPORT: (Verified 5/23/25)

California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy

California State University Employees Union

Children Now

EdTrust-West

Fresno Unified School District

Rancho Santiago Community College District

1 Individual

OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/23/25)

None received

Prepared by: Olgalilia Ramirez / ED. / (916) 651-4105

5/27/25 13:24:05

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Senator Anna Caballero, Chair

2025 - 2026 Regular Session

SB 640 (Cabaldon) - Public postsecondary education: admission, transfer, and enrollment

Bill Summary:

This bill establishes the California State University (CSU) direct admission program between participating CSU campuses and local educational agencies (LEAs). This bill also requires the California Community Colleges (CCC) to promote the CSU dual admission transfer program, and provides for the creation of at least five transfer model curricula (TMC) that are unrelated to existing Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT).

*********** ANALYSIS ADDENDUM – SUSPENSE FILE ***********

The following information is revised to reflect amendments

adopted by the committee on May 23, 2025

Fiscal Impact:

• The Chancellor’s Office estimates ongoing costs of up to $57,500 for community colleges to provide specified information regarding the dual admissions program during new student orientations, campus websites, and within counseling offices and transfer centers.
• The Chancellor’s Office estimates one-time General Fund workload costs of between $19,000 and $84,000 to convene an intersegmental curriculum workgroup to develop five TMCs.
• The CSU estimates systemwide costs in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to provide mailers and notify students of their admittance to a CSU.

Author Amendments:

Remove the requirement for community colleges to create the additional ADTs.

Committee Amendments:

Add Senate McGuire as a coauthor.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Anna Caballero, Chair

2025 - 2026 Regular Session

SB 640 (Cabaldon) - Public postsecondary education: admission, transfer, and enrollment

Bill Summary:

This bill establishes the California State University (CSU) direct admission program between participating CSU campuses and local educational agencies (LEAs). This bill also requires the California Community Colleges (CCC) to promote the CSU dual admission transfer program, and provides for the creation of at least five transfer model curricula (TMC) that are unrelated to existing Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT).

Fiscal Impact:

• The Chancellor’s Office estimates one-time Proposition 98 General Fund costs of up to $50,000 per college to implement five new ADT programs, resulting in statewide costs of approximately $28.75 million for all 115 colleges. These costs are consistent with recent budgetary actions to implement new academic programs and curriculum. The Chancellor’s Office also estimates ongoing costs of up to $57,500 for all of the colleges to provide specified information regarding the dual admissions program during new student orientations, campus websites, and within counseling offices and transfer centers.
• The Chancellor’s Office estimates one-time General Fund workload costs of between $19,000 and $84,000 to convene an intersegmental curriculum workgroup to develop five TMCs.
• The CSU estimates systemwide costs in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to provide mailers and notify students of their admittance to a CSU.

Background:

Existing law, until the 2026–27 academic year, requires the CSU Trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the CSU that guarantees the student’s admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC.

Existing law establishes the Student Transfer Achievement Reform (STAR) Act, which requires, commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12 academic year, a student that receives an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a CSU baccalaureate degree when the student meets specified requirements. The law requires a granting of this degree when a student completes 60 semester or 90 quarter units eligible for transfer to the CSU which includes the CSU General Education Breadth program for the general education transfer curricula, and a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units in a major area of emphasis as determined by the district; and obtains a minimum grade point average of 2.0.

Existing law establishes, until July 1, 2027, the ADT Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT.

Proposed Law:

This bill establishes the CSU Direct Admission program and requires the CSU Chancellor to designate one or more CSU campuses as university participants in the program. The bill states legislative intent that the CSU Chancellor designate each CSU campus with available enrollment capacity to be a university participant.

This bill authorizes the governing board or body of an LEA to authorize the LEA to participate in the program. It also requires a participating LEA to notify the CSU Chancellor by February 1 of the prior academic year if the LEA intends to participate in the program.

This bill requires that the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform be used to provide the data required to determine program eligibility upon the implementation of transcript-information pupil accounts for pupils in grades 9 to 12, on the platform. The bill also requires that program eligibility be based on the coursework completed by the end of grade 11 and on-track completion of A-G courses with a qualifying A-G CSU grade point average.

This bill requires, by September 1 of each year, a participating LEA to identify each pupil who is deemed eligible for the program. It also requires, by September 1 of each year, the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the CSU, to transmit a letter to identified pupils that notifies them of their direct admission. The bill requires that the letter describe the enrollment procedures the pupil needs to complete to be successfully enroll. Further, the bill specifies that upon accepting an offer of admission to one of the university participants, a pupil is required to complete the necessary procedures for enrollment.

This bill modifies provisions related to the CSU dual admission transfer pathways program for first-time freshman applicants by: extending the sunset date from the 2025-26 academic year to 2035-36 academic year; expanding the period of time from two to three years for which a student is to complete an ADT or other established course of study for transfer to be granted guaranteed admission; and requiring the CCC to promote the dual admission program to new students, as specified.

This bill requires the Chancellor to establish, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for the CCCs and the CSU, an intersegmental curriculum workgroup which shall be comprised of CCC and CSU faculty who teach courses in fields of study with high opportunity for social mobility. The purpose of the workgroup is to create no fewer than five TMCs that are not related to existing ADTs. It requires the workgroup, once the TMC is finalized, to submit it to the CCC Chancellor’s Office to make the TMC available to community college districts and requires the community college district to create an ADT based on the TMC made available by the CCC Chancellor’s Office.

This bill requires each CSU campus, once a TMC is created, to determine if there is a baccalaureate degree in a similar major to the TMC. The determination of similarity shall ensure that the students who earn the ADT that is created under the parameters of the TMC are guaranteed admission in that similar major at a CSU campus offering that major and be required to complete no more than 60 units after transfer to earn baccalaureate degree that is deemed similar to the ADT major if the students stays on that ADT pathway.

Staff Comments:

This bill is intended to streamline CSU admission for high school students by requiring an LEA that has elected to participate to identify eligible pupils for the proposed direct admission program. Eligibility would be based on coursework completed by the end of the 11^th grade and on-track completion of A-G courses with a qualifying GPA for A-G courses. Further, the California College Guidance Initiative would be required to transmit a letter with the Chancellor’s signature to an eligible student that they have been directly admitted into a participating CSU.

Current law establishes the Dual Admissions Pathway at CSU for first-time freshman applicants starting in 2023-24 through the 2025-26 academic year. The dual admission agreement guarantees that a student will be admitted to their chosen campus if they complete transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC, and also have access to library, counseling, and other services from the CSU campus nearest to their primary residence. This bill extends the program until the 2035-36 academic year and expands eligibility to students who have completed an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within three rather than two years.

According to the author, “It should be as easy and seamless to go from 12th grade to college as it is to go from 10th grade to 11th grade. Tens of thousands of California students are fully qualified to go to CSU, but don’t jump the hurdles of the admissions process. At the same time, nearly half of CSU’s campuses have substantial available enrollment capacity and need more students to sustain their high quality academic programs. High schools and community colleges already have all the transcript information they need in order to validate that a graduating student is CSU-admissible. SB 640 seals the cracks through which too many students fall and gets a coveted letter of admission to thousands of qualified students.

“Additionally, SB 640 will enhance California’s transfer pathways by requiring the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to develop at least five Associate Degrees for Transfer in high-opportunity career fields. These pathways will ensure community college graduates transition smoothly to four-year institutions and secure well-paying jobs in innovative industries that provide for social mobility.”

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair

2025 - 2026 Regular

Bill No: SB 640 Hearing Date: April 30, 2025

Subject: Public postsecondary education: admission, transfer, and enrollment.

SUMMARY

This bill establishes the California State University (CSU) direct admission program between participating CSU campuses and local educational agencies (LEAs). It further requires the California Community Colleges (CCC) to promote the CSU dual admission transfer program and requires the creation of at least five transfer model curricula (TMC) that are unrelated to existing Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT).

BACKGROUND

Existing law:

1. Establishes the CSU under the administration of the Trustees of the CSU, the University of California (UC), under the administration of the Regents of the UC, the CCC, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the CCC, and independent institutions of higher education as four segments of postsecondary education in the state. (Education Code (EC) § 66010, § 70900, § 66600, and California Constitution, Article IX, Section 9)
2. Until the 2026–27 academic year, requires the trustees to offer for first-time freshman applicants meeting certain criteria a dual admissions program, and authorizes eligible first-time freshman applicants to enter into a dual admissions agreement with the CSU that guarantees the student’s admission to a specific campus of the segment selected by the student at the time of the agreement if the student completes transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC. (EC § 66744.1)
3. Establishes the Student Transfer Achievement Reform (STAR) Act, which, in part, requires, commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12 academic year, a student that receives an ADT to be deemed eligible for transfer into a CSU baccalaureate degree when the student meets specified requirements. Requires a granting of this degree when a student:
   1. Completes 60 semester or 90 quarter units eligible for transfer to the CSU, and that includes the CSU General Education Breadth program for the general education transfer curricula, and a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units in a major area of emphasis as determined by the district; and,
   2. Obtains a minimum grade point average of 2.0. (EC § 66745, et seq.)
4. Establishes, until July 1, 2027, the ADT Intersegmental Implementation Committee for specified purposes, including to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the ADT. (EC § 66749.8)

ANALYSIS

This bill:

Direct Admission

1. Establishes the CSU Direct Admission program and requires the CSU Chancellor to designate one or more CSU campuses as university participants in the program.
2. States the Legislature’s intent that the CSU Chancellor designate each CSU campus with available enrollment capacity to be a university participant.
3. Authorizes the governing board or body of a LEA to authorize the LEA to participate in the program.
4. Requires a participating LEA to notify the CSU Chancellor by February 1 of the prior academic year if the LEA intends to participate in the program.
5. Requires that the reporting available on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform be used to provide the data required to determine program eligibility upon the implementation of transcript-information pupil accounts for pupils in grades 9 to 12, on the platform.
6. Requires that program eligibility be based on the coursework completed by the end of grade 11 and on-track completion of A-G courses with a qualifying A-G CSU grade point average.
7. Requires, by September 1 of each year, a participating LEA to identify each pupil who is deemed eligible for the program.
8. Requires, by September 1 of each year, the California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the CSU, to transmit a letter to identified pupils that notifies them of their direct admission. The bill requires that the letter describe the enrollment procedures the pupil needs to complete to be successfully enroll.
9. Specifies that upon accepting an offer of admission to one of the university participants, a pupil is required to complete the necessary procedures for enrollment.

Dual admission

1. Modifies provisions related to the CSU dual admission transfer pathways program for first-time freshman applicants by:
   1. Extending the sunset date from the 2025-26 academic year to 2035-36

academic year.

• 1. Expands the period of time from two to three years for which a student is

to complete an ADT or other established course of study for transfer to be granted guaranteed admission.

• 1. Requires the CCC to promote the dual admission program to new

students, as specified.

Associate Degree for Transfer

1. Requires the ADT Intersegmental Implementation Committee to create no fewer than five TMCs that are not related to existing ADTs.
2. Requires the Committee, once the TMC is finalized, to submit it to the CCC Chancellor’s Office to make the TMC available to community college districts and requires the community college district to create an ADT based on the TMC made available by the CCC Chancellor’s Office.
3. Requires, once a TMC is created each CSU campus determine if there is a baccalaureate degree in a similar major to the TMC. The determination of similarity is to ensure that the students who earn the ADT that is created under the parameters of the TMC are guaranteed admission in that similar major at a CSU campus offering that major and be required to complete no more than 60 units after transfer to earn baccalaureate degree that is deemed similar to the ADT major if the students stays on that ADT pathway.
4. Defines various terms for the purposes of the bill including university participant to mean a campus of the CSU that is designated to participate in the CSU Direct Admission Program.

STAFF COMMENTS

1. Need for the bill. According to the author, “It should be as easy and seamless to go from 12th grade to college as it is to go from 10th grade to 11th grade. Tens of thousands of California students are fully qualified to go to CSU, but don’t jump the hurdles of the admissions process. At the same time, nearly half of CSU’s campuses have substantial available enrollment capacity and need more students to sustain their high quality academic programs. High schools and community colleges already have all the transcript information they need in order to validate that a graduating student is CSU-admissible. SB 640 seals the cracks through which too many students fall and gets a coveted letter of admission to thousands of qualified students.

“Additionally, SB 640 will enhance California’s transfer pathways by requiring the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to develop at least five Associate Degrees for Transfer in high-opportunity career fields. These pathways will ensure community college graduates transition smoothly to four-year institutions and secure well-paying jobs in innovative industries that provide for social mobility.”

1. Streamlining pathways for students. This bill attempts to streamline CSU admission for high school students by requiring a LEA that has elected to participate to identify eligible pupils for the proposed direct admission program. Eligibility is to be based on the coursework completed by the end of grade 11 and on-track completion of A-G courses with a qualifying A-G CSU grade point average. CaliforniaColleges.edu will identify students who meet the CSU admission requirements once their transcript-informed accounts are in place. The California College Guidance Initiative, on behalf of the CSU, is required to transmit a letter with the Chancellor’s signature to an eligible student that they have been directly admitted into a participating CSU. Presumably, meeting the requirements for CSU admission as outlined in the bill could qualify students for admissions into other CSU campus locations that are not participating in the direct admission program. As the bill moves forward, the author may wish to clarify whether the notice to students regarding their direct admission is limited to participating CSU campuses or whether information can be expanded to notify students of their eligibility for other CSUs within the system. The author may also wish to consider how participation from one or two CSU campuses may be balanced with a high volume of eligible students.
2. Dual Admissions. This bill additionally aims to extend and promote an existing CCC to CSU transfer program. Current law establishes the Dual Admissions Pathway at CSU for first-time freshman applicants starting in the 2023-24 through the 2025-26 academic year. The dual admission agreement guarantees that a student will 1) be admitted to their chosen campus if they complete transfer requirements, which may include completion of an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within two academic years at a CCC, and 2) have access to library, counseling, and other services from the CSU campus nearest to their primary residence. It further requires CSU to report by April 1, 2026, on the program, including college participants, a description of services, and information on program applicants and student outcomes. This bill extends the dual admissions program until the 2035-36 academic year and expands eligibility to students who have completed an ADT or another established course of study for transfer within three rather than two years. The bill additionally requires that the CCCs promote the CSU dual admissions program to new students each fall term.
3. Benefits of ADT pathways for students. In an effort to address standing issues and concerns about the need to ensure a clearer, transparent, and more navigable transfer process between the CCC and the CSU, the Legislature and Governor enacted SB 1440 (Padilla, Chapter 428, Statutes of 2010), the STAR Act. Since its enactment, the ADT has made significant strides in streamlining the transfer process for students and has become a successful pathway to earning a bachelor’s degree. Specifically, the Act requires CCC districts to develop and grant a transfer associate degree that deems the student eligible for transfer into the CSU when the student meets certain course requirements. Completion of an ADT guarantees a student:
   1. Admission with junior status to a CSU campus but not to a specific

campus or major.

• 1. No additional lower-division CSU coursework.
  2. No more than 60-semester units of upper-division CSU coursework to

complete a bachelor’s degree, in addition to the 60 units completed at community college, results in a 120-unit pathway to a bachelor’s degree.

• 1. Priority admission at CSU.

Additionally, since developing the ADT, the CCC system has also entered into new transfer agreements with the UC and private nonprofit universities, some of which now also guarantee admission and junior standing to students with an ADT. In October 2020, it was reported that over 280,000 CCC students have earned an ADT since implementation in 2012, and over 40 ADT pathways exist at CCC.

1. Transfer Model Curricula. The Academic Senates for CCC and CSU developed a faculty-led, statewide, concerted effort to identify the course content for new associate degrees for transfer. The process of creating an ADT begins with developing a structure for the central component (i.e., major or area of emphasis) of an associate degree. This faculty-developed structure, known as a TMC, is vetted intersegmentally and adopted statewide and is then used by the CCC Chancellor’s Office to create a template (Chancellor’s Office Template or COT) that local colleges complete when submitting their TMC-aligned degrees to the Chancellor’s Office for approval. As such, the process begins with statewide faculty development of a TMC and ends with local implementation of that TMC in the form of an ADT. This measure would require the creation of no fewer than five TMCs for a field of study with high opportunity for social mobility that is not related to existing ADTs. As the bill moves forward, the author may wish to consider providing additional details about the fields of study that led to high-opportunity social mobility to ensure that the bill’s provisions align with the intended objective.
2. Amendment. Due to a technical error, this bill tasks the Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Committee to create TMC. Staff recommends, and the author agrees, that the bill be amended to strike references to the Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee and correct the error in assigning responsibility to the Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee for creating TMCs. Instead, reinstate the bill’s original provisions that state the “office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall establish, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges and the California State University, an intersegmental curriculum workgroup. The workgroup shall be composed of California Community College and California State University faculty who teach courses in fields of study with high opportunity for social mobility. The purpose of the workgroup is to create no fewer than five TMCs that are not related to existing ADTs, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges.”

SUPPORT

California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy

California State University Employees Union

Fresno Unified School District

1 Individual

OPPOSITION

None received

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