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CA Futures Foundation > Research Hub > Top Card > The 2026 State of California Learners > 2026-09 [UPDATE]
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State of Higher Education in California Research

College Futures Foundation and Gallup survey Californians without a degree to understand what drives them to pursue higher education, what gets in the way, and what makes higher education feel valuable and possible in their lives.

Featured Report

The 2026 State of California Learners

California learners continue to believe in the promise of postsecondary education, but they are asking education to work differently for the lives they lead. For adults balancing jobs, caregiving and family responsibilities, flexibility is a prerequisite to pursuing their goals.

The newest report from College Futures Foundation and Gallup finds that the state’s adult learners show strong interest in models that offer greater choice in when, where and how they learn, including opportunities to progress by demonstrating what they know. At the same time, artificial intelligence is reshaping their expectations: It is already part of many students’ coursework, and learners are thinking about how it could change their future jobs and the value of what they study.

Read the full report to learn more about what California learners want from postsecondary education, where they are seeking greater flexibility, and the barriers they face to enrolling in and completing their education.

77% of Californians without a degree believe bachelor’s degrees are “extremely valuable” or “very valuable.”
90% of California adults without a degree say that some type of postsecondary education is “very” (50%) or “somewhat” (40%) important to their personal long-term goals.
55% of California students say the rise of artificial intelligence had at least “some impact” on the program of study they selected.
Additional Reports

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