California’s community colleges are scrambling after the U.S. Department of Education ended funding for minority-serving institutions.
CALIFORNIA, USA — Local community colleges are scrambling to keep life-changing student programs afloat after the U.S. Department of Education announced it will end funding for certain minority-focused initiatives, saying they are racially discriminatory.
Students say those programs were instrumental to their success and worry the decision could roll back years of progress in higher education access.
“It’s just disheartening, and I fear that we’re regressing,” said Emilee Chu, a 23-year-old student who credits her academic success to the minority support programs at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento.
Chu said the support she received from people who shared similar backgrounds helped her find her path in higher education. “They really just paved the way for me in ways I didn’t know existed,” she said.
But that support network is now at risk.
In September, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would end federal grant funding for minority-serving institutions—specifically those with large numbers of Hispanic, Asian American, Native Alaskan, and Native Hawaiian students. The department said the funding model was discriminatory and unconstitutional.
For schools like Cosumnes River College in Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, the loss of this money threatens programs that have served as a foundation for student success among underrepresented groups.
Lesieli Netane, a student at Cosumnes River College, said the program helped her adjust to college life after a difficult transition. “When I started at Cosumnes River College, it was really a culture shock because I had never been in a space where there were no Pacific Islanders,” she said. “I was looking for a resource program that could best fit or accommodate my needs as a Pacific Islander scholar.”
These centers rely heavily on state and federal funding to operate.
Cirian Villavicencio, a political science professor and co-chair at San Joaquin Delta College, said the programs serve a broad student population. “The funding itself goes through wrap-around supports,” he said. “We mostly serve first-generation, low-income students, and yes, they’re tailored for Asian American Pacific Islander students, but anyone and everyone can join. It serves all of our students. They get extra academic support and mental health services.”
Every state will lose money under the department’s decision, but California will be hit the hardest, according to CalMatters. Because the state has the largest number of college campuses and a high percentage of minority students, it receives more than a quarter of all diversity grants—meaning a potential loss of $20 million next year.
Delta College said its five-year Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution grant, secured in 2022, is worth $1.98 million. Cosumnes River College said its grant is worth $1.5 million over five years. About 80% of Delta students are students of color.
For Delta, the end of federal funding means losing the final two years of its grant. While the college has some support from the state, the loss of federal funds will force it to continue programs with a smaller pool of money.
That could also cost jobs. One staff member said they were told their position was secure through June 2027, while several colleagues’ roles ended as of Sept. 30.
Supporters of these programs say that by cutting minority-serving institution funding, the federal administration is dismantling efforts that expand opportunity, foster student success, and uplift historically underserved communities.
“I just think about the future and how some people who may have been in my position going into community college might not get the guidance that the program provided for me,” Chu said.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon defended the move in a written statement.
“Discrimination based upon race or ethnicity has no place in the United States,” McMahon said. “The Department looks forward to working with Congress to re-envision these programs to support institutions that serve underprepared or under-resourced students without relying on race quotas and will continue fighting to ensure that students are judged as individuals, not prejudged by their membership of a racial group.”
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