[caption id=”attachment_97801″ align=”aligncenter” width=”1536″] (Creative Commons)
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California is now officially the 22nd state to allow for community college bachelor’s degrees.
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Sunday that will allow up to 15 community colleges to launch bachelor’s degrees programs, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The pilot program is set to begin no later than the 2017-18 academic year and end in 2024. These degrees will not be available for fields in the liberal arts, but will instead be focused solely on vocational programs.
“This is landmark legislation that is a game changer for California’s higher education system and our workforce preparedness,” state Sen. Marty Block, who authored the bill, said in a statement. “SB 850 boosts the focus of our community colleges on job training and increasing the accessibility and affordability of our state’s higher education system.”
It could definitely be a game changer in terms of higher education affordability.
Back in August, when discussions surrounding the bill were still going on, officials estimated that the total tuition cost of these degrees would be about $10,560. This not a per year cost, but cost of the entire degree program — less than the cost of one year of traditional college for most students.
According to the College Board, the current average cost of one year of tuition and fees is $30,094 at private colleges, $8,893 for state residents at public colleges, and $22,203 for out-of-state residents attending public universities.
