Joshua Bay
October 29, 2026
New research identifies millions of California adults without college degrees and the institutional changes needed to help them enroll and graduate.
Nationwide, demand for workers with postsecondary credentials remains strong, even as demographic trends threaten to shrink the pipeline of prospective college students. In California, the number of high school graduates is projected to decline by more than 30 percent in the coming years, and college-going rates remain below previous levels.
At the same time, a college degree remains an important avenue to economic mobility for low- and middle-income families in the state, even as rising living costs put additional pressure on households. A new report from the research and policy organization California Competes argues that one potential solution to the state’s workforce and economic challenges lies in a population often overlooked by higher education: adults with a high school diploma but no college degree.