The California State University Enrollment, Access, and Retention of Nontraditional Students Program.

Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the California State University to require each campus in its system to grant students the right to reenroll in their baccalaureate degree program after withdrawing or stopping out, if the student was in good academic standing with the university. This bill would establish the California State University Enrollment, Access, and Retention of Nontraditional Students Program to increase the reenrollment rates of California State University students who have withdrawn from a campus before the conferral of a baccalaureate degree. The bill would require the Chancellor of the California State University to adopt a policy prioritizing enrollment funding for California State University campuses that meet enrollment figures and engage in outreach to reenroll former California State University students. The bill would require, on or before July 1, 2027, the trustees to adopt a policy related to evaluating transcripts of nontraditional students who wish to reenroll in the California State University, as specified. The bill would require each campus to designate, on or before July 1, 2027, a nontraditional student advisor, and, commencing July 1, 2027, provide priority registration to nontraditional students returning to complete a degree. The bill would require, on or before September 1, 2028, the trustees to maintain an internet-accessible data dashboard that includes, among other things, the number of nontraditional students who have reenrolled at a campus.