California community colleges cleared to offer up to 12 bachelor’s degrees yearly starting 2028

Gov. Newsom signed two laws allowing California community college districts to offer 2–12 new bachelor’s degrees per year beginning in 2028, with caps tied to district graduation and transfer rates and regional workforce needs; the bills create a dispute-resolution pathway with the CSU, permit a nearby CSU program even if duplicative if CSU rejects more than 25% of local applicants for three years, and do not apply to existing degrees. The reforms drew last-minute opposition from some colleges, and Newsom vetoed a related nursing-bachelor’s degree bill as unnecessary.