Newsom Proposes Tripling Calbright Budget to $53 Million

California's online community college, Calbright College, has experienced rapid growth since its rocky launch, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to propose tripling its annual budget to $53 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Established in 2018 under former Governor Jerry Brown, the tuition-free institution now serves more than 6,000 students, primarily working adults over age 25, and shows completion rates comparable to the state's traditional community colleges.

Calbright began enrolling students in 2019 but quickly faced criticism for poor management, hiring issues, and inadequate student support, according to a 2021 state audit. By the end of its first academic year in October 2020, only 12 of more than 900 enrollees had completed their programs. The state Assembly even moved to defund it in 2020 and attempted to eliminate it through bills in 2021 and 2022, though those efforts were blocked by the Senate or the governor. Despite these challenges, enrollment has surged, with tentative data indicating it as the fastest-growing community college in California when comparing fall 2024 to fall 2025.

Unlike the state's 115 brick-and-mortar community colleges, which operate on a...