Calbright College earned accreditation while enrollment grew to more than 4,500 learners and conferred certificates more than doubled
Sacramento, Calif., August 7, 2024 – Calbright College, an online community college in California dedicated to improving equity and access in higher education, today released its annual milestone report for the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year. In the last fiscal year, the College earned accreditation, while enrollment increased by nearly 60% and certificates conferred grew by 144%. Calbright has also continued to meet or exceed every legislative requirement outlined in its founding legislation.
“This Milestone Report illustrates the hard work and dedication of our faculty, students, and staff, and tells a story of strong progress throughout the 2023-2024 fiscal year,” Ajita Talwalker Menon, president and CEO of Calbright College, says in the report. “In the past year, Calbright received accreditation, launched three new programs, and continued strong cross-sector partnerships to drive student success and create clear pipelines to good jobs for our students. Our work delivers on the promise and potential of our mission and advances the efforts of the California Community Colleges (CCC) system as a whole to upskill adult learners in an equitable manner, recognizing their unique experiences and designing around their specific needs and goals.”
Calbright’s founding legislation requires the college to design and validate at least 10 additional program pathways, for a total of 16, including coordinating the creation of new content. Calbright has exceeded this requirement and designed and validated 17 programs as part of its growth and development. In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Calbright launched three programs: Data Analysis, Network Technology, and Project Management.
The report highlights Calbright’s enrollment growth over the last fiscal year, which is a testament to the need for affordable and flexible education models. At the close of the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Calbright’s enrollment was 4,582 students. This student body reflects the College’s mission of enrolling underserved adult learners from the across the state:
- 90% are 25+ years old (45% across the CCC system); median age is late 30s.
- Average age of a Calbright graduate at the time they completed their program is 40 years old.
- Nearly 70% of students identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color.
- More specifically, 31% of students identify as Hispanic, 22% identify as Black (more than triple the CCC rate), and 19% identify as Asian.
- 30% are parents or caregivers (~10% across the CCC system).
- 42% of students are unemployed, 53% work one job, and 6% work two or more jobs.
- 52 of California’s 58 counties are represented by the student body, including 34 of the state’s 40 rural counties.
Calbright also received positive responses from students in its Annual Student Experience Survey, and while results are still being analyzed, preliminary data suggests that more than 70% of respondents feel that Calbright has helped them progress in their educational and career goals.
Additional findings from the survey indicate high student satisfaction with Calbright’s programs and the overall experience:
- 76% indicate that they are satisfied with their experience at Calbright and with what they have learned so far in their programs.
- Nearly 85% agree or strongly agree that engaging with Success Counselors supports their academic journey, and nearly 60% agree or strongly agree that engaging with instructors contributes to their success.
- Students’ satisfaction with progress made toward personal educational and professional goals increased from 50% in 2022 to 61% in 2023.
Calbright’s Milestone Report, published on July 31, 2024 as required by its founding legislation, is available on the College’s website here.
