Senate BillChaptered/SignedEducation
SB 619: Public postsecondary education.
What SB 619 does, verified December 7, 2025
This bill aims to amend the education code to improve postsecondary education in California. It requires students who earn an associate degree for transfer to be eligible for transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program when they complete the California General Education Transfer Curriculum, established in 2025. Currently, students can be eligible for transfer if they complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements. The bill would make these requirements the same, with the California General Education Transfer Curriculum becoming the only pathway used to determine academic eligibility for transfer into California State University and the University of California. Additionally, the bill would rename the Foster Care Education Program to the Foster and Kinship Care Educa…
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Last action: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 74, Statutes of 2025. (2025-07-10)Alert me
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| Jul. 28, 2025 | Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 74, Statutes of 2025. |
| Jul. 28, 2025 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Jul. 15, 2025 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m. |
| Jul. 10, 2025 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 2509.) Ordered to the Senate. |
| Jul. 10, 2025 | In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
Latest bill textChaptered version, July 28, 2025 · 4,540 words
Senate Bill No. 619
CHAPTER 74
An act to amend Sections 48800, 66721.7, 66739.5, 66746, 79420, and 79500 of, and to amend the heading of Article 8 (commencing with Section 79420) of Chapter 9 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of, the Education Code, relating to postsecondary education.
[ Approved by Governor July 28, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State July 28, 2025. ]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 619, Committee on Education. Public postsecondary education.
(1) A part of the Donahoe Higher Education Act, known as the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act, requires a student who earns an associate degree for transfer to be deemed eligible for transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program when the student meets certain requirements, including the completion of specified number of units that are eligible for transfer to the California State University, including the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements. Existing law requires the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates of the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges to establish a singular lower division general education pathway that meets the academic requirements necessary for transfer admission to both the California State University and the University of California. Existing law, commencing with the fall term of the 2025–26 academic year, requires that singular lower division general education pathway to be the only lower division general education pathway used to determine academic eligibility and sufficient academic preparation for transfer into the California State University and the University of California, as specified.
Provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California act, by resolution, to make them applicable.
This bill would require, for purposes of the above-described eligibility requirement for transfer to a California State University baccalaureate program, a student to complete the California General Education Transfer Curriculum, established pursuant to the above requirements, commencing in the fall term of the 2025–26 academic year, instead of the IGETC or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements. The bill would deem a student who is placed on the IGETC or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements before the fall term of the 2025–26 academic year and completes the pattern with appropriate certification to have met that requirement. The bill would also make conforming changes by replacing references to the IGETC or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements with a reference to the California General Education Transfer Curriculum.
(2) Existing law requires funds appropriated to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for the Foster Care Education Program to be used for foster parent and relative/kinship care provider education, as specified.
This bill would rename the program the Foster and Kinship Care Education Program and would instead require funds appropriated for the program to be used for education for resource families, as defined.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 48800 of the Education Code is amended to read:48800.
(a) The governing board of a school district may determine which pupils would benefit from advanced scholastic or vocational work. The intent of this section is to provide educational enrichment opportunities for a limited number of eligible pupils, rather than to reduce current course requirements of elementary and secondary schools, and also to help ensure a smoother transition from high school to college for pupils by providing them with greater exposure to the collegiate atmosphere. The governing board of a school district may authorize those pupils, upon recommendation of the principal of the pupil’s school of attendance, and with parental consent, to attend a community college during any session or term as special part-time or full-time students and to undertake one or more courses of instruction offered at the community college level.(b) If the governing board of a school district denies a request for a special part-time or full-time enrollment at a community college for any session or term for a pupil who is identified as highly gifted, the governing board shall issue its written recommendation and the reasons for the denial within 60 days. The written recommendation and denial shall be issued at the next regularly scheduled board meeting that falls at least 30 days after the request has been submitted.
(c) A pupil shall receive credit for community college courses that the pupil completes at the level determined appropriate by the governing boards of the school district and community college district. Using available funding apportioned to the community college district pursuant to Section 84750.4, the governing board of the community college district shall report the pupil’s completed courses and grades received through eTranscript California, also referred to as “eTranscriptCA,” for purposes of enabling the uniform integration of the pupil’s completed courses and grades received into the pupil’s universal and electronic high school transcript that is housed on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform.
(d) (1) The principal of a school may recommend a pupil for community college summer session only if that pupil meets both of the following criteria:
(A) Demonstrates adequate preparation in the discipline to be studied.
(B) Exhausts all opportunities to enroll in an equivalent course, if any, at the pupil’s school of attendance.
(2) For any particular grade level, a principal shall not recommend for community college summer session attendance more than 5 percent of the total number of pupils who completed that grade immediately before the time of recommendation.
(3) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a high school pupil recommended by the pupil’s principal for enrollment in a course shall not be included in the 5-percent limitation of pupils allowed to be recommended pursuant to paragraph (2) if the course in which the pupil is enrolled is part of a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) program established pursuant to Section 76004 in which a majority of the pupils served are unduplicated pupils, as defined in Section 42238.02, the course meets one of the criteria listed in clauses (i) and (ii), and the high school principal who recommends the pupil for enrollment provides the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, upon the request of that office, with the data required for purposes of paragraph (5).
(i) The course is a lower division, college-level course for credit that is designated as part of the California General Education Transfer Curriculum.
(ii) The course is a college-level, occupational course for credit assigned a priority code of “A,” “B,” or “C,” pursuant to the Student Accountability Model, as defined by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and reported in the management information system, and the course is part of a sequence of vocational or career technical education courses leading to a degree or certificate in the subject area covered by the sequence.
(B) The 5-percent limitation of pupils allowed to be recommended pursuant to paragraph (2) shall apply to all physical education courses.
(4) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a high school pupil recommended by the pupil’s principal for enrollment in a course shall not be included in the 5-percent limitation of pupils allowed to be recommended pursuant to paragraph (2) if the course in which the pupil is enrolled is either of the following:
(i) A lower division, college-level course for credit that is designated as part of the California General Education Transfer Curriculum.
(ii) A college-level, occupational course for credit assigned a priority code of “A,” “B,” or “C,” pursuant to the Student Accountability Model, as defined by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and reported in the management information system, and the course is part of a sequence of vocational or career technical education courses leading to a degree or certificate in the subject area covered by the sequence.
(B) The 5-percent limitation of pupils allowed to be recommended pursuant to paragraph (2) shall apply to all physical education courses.
(5) On or before March 1 of each year, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall report to the Department of Finance the number of pupils recommended pursuant to paragraphs (3) and (4) who enroll in community college summer session courses and who receive a passing grade. The information in this report may be submitted with the report required by subdivision (c) of Section 76002.
(6) The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges shall not include enrollment growth attributable to paragraphs (3) and (4) as part of its annual budget request for the California Community Colleges.
(7) Notwithstanding Article 3 (commencing with Section 33050) of Chapter 1 of Part 20 of Division 2, compliance with this subdivision shall not be waived.
SEC. 2.
Section 66721.7 of the Education Code is amended to read:66721.7.
(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure that community college students who wish to earn the baccalaureate degree at the University of California are provided with clear and effective directions that specify curricular paths to this degree.(b) This section shall not limit in any way the ability of students to gain admission through alternative paths to transfer, such as the California General Education Transfer Curriculum.
(c) The University of California is requested to address deficiencies in the articulation of major preparation courses between the California Community Colleges and the various UC campuses to make it easier for prospective transfer students to identify the community college courses that meet major preparation requirements across the various campuses of the university.
(d) The University of California is requested to identify commonalities and differences in similar majors across all UC campuses in order to accomplish all of the following:
(1) To provide students with general descriptions of each major.
(2) To identify lower division degree requirements that are common across UC campuses.
(3) To identify additional academic requirements at each UC campus.
(4) To describe additional criteria that students must achieve to be admitted at the various UC campuses.
(e) (1) When four or more UC campuses that award undergraduate degrees have articulated specific courses and course sequences of the California Community Colleges for common requirements in similar majors, the remaining UC campuses that offer undergraduate degrees are requested to also articulate these specific community college courses and course sequences. The Legislature recognizes that UC may adopt provisions allowing individual UC campuses to opt out of this articulation process on a case-by-case basis, but these provisions should be infrequently used. The Academic Senate of the University of California is requested to notify the California Community Colleges when an articulation request is denied, and to provide information that will enable the California Community Colleges to achieve course comparability with UC.
(2) For at least the 20 most high-demand undergraduate majors, and with the ultimate goal of including all majors for which it is feasible, UC is requested to specify lower division transfer paths clearly identifying commonalities and differences, on a comparative basis across UC campuses offering specific major programs. The Academic Senate of the University of California is requested to review the existing differences in lower division major preparation in each major across UC campuses, recognizing that one goal of these requirements should be to achieve similarity to the greatest degree that is academically appropriate.
(3) The University of California is requested to include all of the following in the systemwide lower division transfer paths for the high-demand baccalaureate major degree programs:
(A) Lower division general education requirements for the university.
(B) Lower division major preparation requirements that are common across undergraduate campuses.
(C) Additional lower division degree requirements that are unique to an individual campus.
(D) Elective units, as appropriate.
(E) Additional criteria, such as grade point averages and minimum grades, to ensure that students are competitive in selective majors.
(4) The systemwide lower division transfer paths shall be specified in sufficient manner and detail so that existing and future community college lower division courses may be articulated, according to the usual procedures, to the corresponding UC courses or course descriptions.
(f) (1) The University of California is requested to, and the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall, in consultation with the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges, on or before January 1, 2008, facilitate the articulation of those lower division, baccalaureate-level courses at each campus of the California Community Colleges that meet the lower division transfer path requirements for each major specified by UC in paragraph (1) of subdivision (e).
(2) The University of California is requested to annually review, and update as appropriate, the lower division transfer paths and articulation to ensure that they reflect current UC campus degree requirements and community college curricula, and share the results of that review with the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
(g) As allowed by enrollment demand and available space, UC is requested to develop transfer admission agreement programs for students at each campus of the California Community Colleges who demonstrate the intent to meet the requirements of this section, including the declaration of a major and identification of a choice of a destination campus. The transfer admission agreement shall guarantee admission to the campus and major identified in the agreement and transfer of all units specified in the agreement, subject to the student’s successful completion of the requirements of the agreement. It is the intent of the Legislature that the transfer admission agreements entered into under this section be made available to students early in their academic coursework. However, this section shall not preclude or limit the development or issuance of transfer admission agreements for students at any appropriate time up to the point of application.
(h) A path to transfer, as specified in this section, shall be available to any community college student who desires to transfer to UC, and shall not be limited to students who secure a transfer admission agreement as specified in subdivision (g). A student who successfully completes a path to transfer, but who does not secure a transfer admission agreement, shall be guaranteed the transferability and degree applicability for all units that the student has earned pursuant to the path to transfer. However, this section shall not guarantee admission to UC, or to a specific UC campus, for a student who has not secured a transfer admission agreement.
(i) The University of California is requested to, and the California Community Colleges shall, on a three-year periodic cycle, jointly conduct a review of a random representative sample of transcripts of students who have transferred to UC and of students preparing for transfer to determine the effectiveness of the transfer preparation pathways referenced in this section.
(j) For purposes of this section, “UC” means the University of California.
SEC. 3.
Section 66739.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:66739.5.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) The California Master Plan and supporting statutes place utmost importance on the effective transfer of community college students to the University of California and the California State University as a means of providing access to the baccalaureate degree.
(2) In 2002, CSU enrolled 55,000 transfer students from community colleges.
(3) Two out of three students who earn CSU baccalaureate degrees begin in a community college.
(4) Effective use of state and student time and resources would be maximized by students accruing fewer unrequired units in earning their degrees.
(5) Additional access to community colleges and CSU will be created by higher graduation rates and fewer nonessential units taken.
(6) The state budget situation makes it urgent to streamline the path of the transfer student to the baccalaureate degree.
(b) It is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature to ensure that community college students who wish to earn the baccalaureate degree at CSU are provided with a clear and effective path to this degree.
(c) This section shall not limit in any way the ability of students to gain admission through alternative paths to transfer, such as the California General Education Transfer Curriculum.
(d) On or before February 1, 2005, the Chancellor of CSU shall establish transfer student admissions requirements that give highest priority to transfer students who are qualified in accordance with subdivision (f) and paragraph (3) of subdivision (g).
(e) (1) CSU campuses admitting students qualified in accordance with subdivision (f) and paragraph (3) of subdivision (g) will make it possible for these students to complete their baccalaureate degree in the minimum number of remaining units required for that degree major.
(2) For purposes of this subdivision, the “minimum number of remaining units” is the minimum number of units required for a degree major after subtracting the number of fully degree-transferable units earned at the community college.
(f) The Chancellor of CSU, in consultation with the Academic Senate of CSU, shall establish the following components necessary for a clear degree path for transfer students:
(1) On or before June 1, 2005, the Chancellor of CSU, in consultation with the Academic Senate of CSU and with the faculty responsible for each high-demand baccalaureate degree major program, shall specify for each high-demand baccalaureate program major a systemwide lower division transfer curriculum composed of at least 45 semester course units, or the quarter-unit equivalent, that will be common across all CSU campuses offering specific major programs.
(2) (A) The systemwide lower division transfer curriculum for each high-demand baccalaureate degree major program shall be composed of at least 45 semester units, or the quarter-unit equivalent, and shall include all of the following:
(i) General education courses.
(ii) Any other lower division courses required for graduation.
(iii) Lower division components of the student’s declared major.
(iv) Elective units, as appropriate.
(B) The coursework described in subparagraph (A) shall be designated by the CSU faculty responsible for the student’s major degree program.
(3) The systemwide lower division transfer curriculum shall be specified in sufficient manner and detail so that existing and future community college lower division courses may be articulated, according to the usual procedures, to the corresponding CSU courses or course descriptions.
(g) (1) On or before June 1, 2006, the Chancellor of CSU and the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges, shall articulate those lower division, baccalaureate-level courses at each campus of the California Community Colleges that meet for each degree major the systemwide lower division transfer curriculum requirements specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (f).
(2) To the extent that the goals of efficiency and urgency are advanced, existing articulation procedures such as the California Articulation Number (CAN) program shall be employed.
(3) On or before June 1, 2006, each CSU campus shall have identified any additional specific, nonelective course requirements beyond the systemwide lower division transfer curriculum requirements for each major, up to a maximum of 60 semester units or the quarter-unit equivalent, for the systemwide and campus-specific requirements combined. To the extent these additional course requirements are identified, each CSU campus shall provide that information to all community colleges.
(4) The Chancellor of CSU shall amend CSU’s transfer admissions procedures to encourage prospective community college transfer students to identify and, to the extent possible, commit to, a specific CSU transfer destination campus before earning more than 45 semester units, or the quarter-unit equivalent, of lower division, baccalaureate-level courses, as described in subdivision (f).
(h) As allowed by enrollment demand and available space, each CSU campus shall develop a transfer admission agreement with each student who intends to meet the requirements of this section, including the declaration of a major and identification of a choice of a destination campus, before earning more than 45 systemwide semester units, or the quarter-unit equivalent. The transfer admission agreement shall guarantee admission to the campus and major identified in that agreement and transfer of all 60 semester units, or the quarter-unit equivalent, as creditable to the baccalaureate degree, subject to the student’s meeting the following conditions:
(1) Completion of the 60 semester units of college-level coursework, or the quarter-unit equivalent, specified for the student’s major degree program.
(2) Declaration of a major.
(3) Satisfactory completion of the systemwide lower division transfer curriculum requirements for the student’s declared major.
(4) Satisfactory completion of any requirements beyond the systemwide lower division transfer curriculum that are specified by the CSU destination campus.
(5) Any impaction criteria for that campus or major.
(i) A CSU campus shall guarantee that the transfer students admitted under this section will be able to complete the baccalaureate degree in the minimum number of course units required for that degree.
(j) For purposes of this section, “CSU” means the California State University.
SEC. 4.
Section 66746 of the Education Code is amended to read:66746.
(a) Commencing with the fall term of the 2011–12 academic year, a student who earns an associate degree for transfer granted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be deemed eligible for transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program when the student meets both of the following requirements:(1) Completion of 60 semester units or 90 quarter units that are eligible for transfer to the California State University, including both of the following:
(A) Commencing in the fall term of the 2025–26 academic year, the California General Education Transfer Curriculum. A student who is placed on the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements before the fall term of the 2025–26 academic year and completes the pattern with appropriate certification shall be deemed to meet the requirements of this subparagraph.
(B) A minimum of 18 semester units or 27 quarter units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district and meeting the requirements of an approved transfer model curriculum.
(2) Obtainment of a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
(b) (1) (A) As a condition of receipt of state apportionment funds, a community college district shall develop and grant associate degrees for transfer that meet the requirements of subdivision (a). A community college district shall not impose any requirements in addition to the requirements of this section, including any local college or district requirements, for a student to be eligible for the associate degree for transfer and subsequent admission to the California State University pursuant to Section 66747.
(B) Before the commencement of the 2015–16 academic year, a community college shall create an associate degree for transfer in the major and area of emphasis offered by that college for any approved transfer model curriculum finalized before the commencement of the 2013–14 academic year.
(C) A community college shall create an associate degree for transfer in every major and area of emphasis offered by that college for any approved transfer model curriculum approved subsequent to the commencement of the 2013–14 academic year within 18 months of the approval of the transfer model curriculum.
(D) Before the commencement of the 2015–16 academic year, there shall be the development of at least two transfer model curricula in areas of emphasis and, before the commencement of the 2016–17 academic year, there shall be the development of at least two additional transfer model curricula in areas of emphasis.
(2) The condition of receipt of state apportionment funding contained in paragraph (1) shall become inoperative if, by December 31, 2010, each of the state’s 72 community college districts has submitted to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, for transmission to the Director of Finance, a signed certification waiving, as a local agency request within the meaning of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution, any claim of reimbursement related to the implementation of this article.
(c) A community college district is encouraged to consider the local articulation agreements and other work between the respective faculties from the affected community college and California State University campuses in implementing the requirements of this section.
(d) Community colleges are encouraged to facilitate the acceptance of credits earned at other community colleges toward the associate degree for transfer pursuant to this section.
(e) This section shall not preclude enrollment in nontransferable student success courses in preparation for obtaining the associate degree. Pretransfer noncollegiate level coursework and nontransferable student success courses shall not be counted as part of the transferable units required pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).
SEC. 5.
The heading of Article 8 (commencing with Section 79420) of Chapter 9 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code is amended to read:Article 8. Foster and Kinship Care Education Program
SEC. 6.
Section 79420 of the Education Code is amended to read:79420.
Funds appropriated to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for the Foster and Kinship Care Education Program shall be used for resource family education in accordance with the following provisions:(a) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall allocate these funds exclusively for resource family education and training, as specified by the chancellor, in consultation with an advisory committee that includes resource parents, representatives of statewide foster parent organizations, parent and relative/kinship care providers, county child welfare services representatives, and representatives of the State Department of Social Services.
(b) If a community college district accepts funds for this program, the district shall comply with all reporting requirements, guidelines, and other conditions for receipt of those funds established by the chancellor.
(c) Each college receiving funds for this program shall have a plan, developed in consultation with the county child welfare agency, for resource family education that includes the provision of training to facilitate the development of foster family homes, as defined in Section 56155.5, that care for no more than six children who have special mental, emotional, developmental, or physical needs.
(d) The State Department of Social Services shall facilitate the participation of county welfare departments in the Foster and Kinship Care Education Program.
(e) For purposes of this section, “resource family” has the same meaning as defined in Section 16519.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
SEC. 7.
Section 79500 of the Education Code is amended to read:79500.
(a) The office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, do both of the following:(1) Commencing January 1, 2017, begin development of, and each community college district subsequently shall begin adoption and implementation of, a uniform policy to award a pupil who passes an Advanced Placement examination course credit for California General Education Transfer Curriculum or local community college general education requirements, as appropriate for the pupil’s needs, in a course with subject matter similar to that of the Advanced Placement examination.
(2) Periodically review and adjust the policy adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) to align it with policies of other public postsecondary educational institutions.
(b) If the policy to be adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) is not implemented for the entering class in the fall 2017 academic term, the California Community Colleges shall adopt and implement, commencing with the 2017–18 academic year, the Advanced Placement policy adopted by the California State University.
(c) Each community college campus shall post on its internet website the most recent policy adopted pursuant to this section.
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