West Valley students will soon receive automatic tuition waivers for community college classes, thanks to a bill that passed in the state Assembly on May 22.
The West Valley Mission Community College District currently offers free tuition to students in its service area, which includes Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga and parts of San Jose. But the process to waive tuition involved filling out multiple forms that could be burdensome for applicants, officials said. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, AB 3158 will simplify the process for getting free tuition: Students will only need to provide their address and fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the California DREAM Act application to qualify.
State Assemblymember Marc Berman introduced the bill in February on recommendations from district officials like chancellor Bradley Davis. Berman said the legislation removes financial deterrents for prospective students and makes it easier for the district to utilize the funds it has set aside for the waivers.
“This bill will streamline the process, making free education a reality and empowering our staff to focus on what they do best: nurturing the minds and talents of our students,” Davis said in a press release.
The legislation will sunset on July 1, 2030,unless it’s renewed, Berman said.
Cade Story-Yetto, chief of staff for the chancellor’s office, said the new legislation will benefit students across both West Valley College in Saratoga and Mission College in Santa Clara, which have a combined enrollment of 15,000.
“This bill also grants our district the flexibility to update our internal policies in administering the waiver program, enabling us to streamline the process for students however needed,” Story-Yetto said.
Tuition in the district currently comes in at $46 per unit for California residents, which adds up to $1,104 each year for the 12 credits students need each semester to count as full time.
“That’s a lot of money for students that are struggling to get by month to month or week to week, and it’s great that West Valley and Mission stepped up and said ‘Hey, we have the local resources to be able to waive these tuition fees, so we want to do that to help our students,’” Berman said.
The San Mateo Community College District implemented a similar policy in 2022, Berman said.