For students balancing work, family and school, earning a bachelor's degree can require difficult choices about where and how to continue their education. Partnerships between California State University campuses and local community colleges are helping make bachelor's degrees more accessible by bringing educational opportunities closer to home.
While the CSU partners with community colleges in a variety of ways to help students transfer and increase access to bachelor's degrees, a growing number of CSU campuses are partnering with local community colleges to provide instruction directly on community college campuses.
These Bachelor's Pathway Programs offer a range of benefits, including shortening time to a bachelor's degree, streamlining the transfer process and meeting students where they are. They are also strong examples of regional collaboration between the CSU and the California Community Colleges to expand access to high-quality, affordable bachelor's degrees that directly address workforce demands while reducing duplication of public higher education capacity.
Sometimes referred to as 2+2 programs, these pathways bring CSU curriculum, faculty and student services into community college settings, allowing accepted students to earn CSU degrees by completing upper-division courses at partner campuses.
These models especially expand access to bachelor's degrees for:
- Working adults
- Place-bound and rural students
- Post-licensure professionals
- First-generation college students
Students enrolled in these programs have full access to services offered by their home CSU, including library resources, healthcare, advising, career support and more. Many services are available virtually, and students are also welcome to access resources and attend events at their home CSU campus, like Week of Welcome, club meetings, sports games, concerts and theater arts performances.
While students in these pathways are CSU transfer students, the programs offer a flexible structure tailored to those balancing school with work and family obligations. CSU faculty teach required courses in person on the partner campus, and classes are block-scheduled to accommodate students' busy lives. The cohort-based model also encourages students to form lasting connections with peers while easing logistical burdens like course registration.
In addition to expanding educational opportunity, these partnerships allow CSU campuses and community colleges to align bachelor's degree offerings with regional workforce needs, helping develop local talent while enabling students to remain rooted in their communities.
Several CSU campuses are now using this model to increase bachelor's degree attainment and address workforce demands in their regions.
Expanding Access on the Central Coast
Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo was the first CSU to launch such a pathway in fall 2024 when it partnered with Allan Hancock College to offer a
bachelor of sociology program.
“I probably wouldn't have gone back to school if this program wasn't available,"
said Tawny Lino, a graduate of Cal Poly's inaugural sociology program cohort. Lino earned her bachelor's degree in spring 2026 and is now working as a program coordinator for veterans services at the Good Samaritan Shelter in Santa Maria.
“Logistically, it wouldn't have worked for me. I have two young kids. I work eight hours a day. The commute alone would have made it very difficult," she continued. “A bachelor's degree probably wouldn't have been in my future, but now I'm thinking of getting my master's degree and working with Veterans Affairs as a licensed clinical social worker."
Since then,
Cal Poly has expanded the model, establishing a
business administration pathway with Hancock College in fall 2026 and partnering with Cuesta College to offer a liberal studies pathway.
At Cuesta College,
Cal Poly's liberal studies Bachelor's Pathway Program serves students seeking the flexibility of evening courses and a consistent schedule from term to term. Students take evening Cal Poly courses on the Cuesta campus and online, along with fieldwork experiences each term. The program allows students to complete upper-division coursework in two, three or four years, depending on their course load.
Emphasizing early childhood and elementary education, the program develops educators who can help meet the region's growing demand for qualified teachers. Graduates earn a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies, providing a strong foundation for the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.
In spring 2025, Cal State Channel Islands and Hancock College
announced a partnership designed to create a seamless pathway for nursing students to earn a
Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The pathway follows a hybrid model that blends online coursework with in-person instruction. Students meet face-to-face with CSUCI faculty on Hancock's campus during the start, midpoint and end of each course, and have access to local academic and student support services throughout the program.
“This partnership between Allan Hancock College and [Cal State] Channel Islands isn't just about convenience. It's about access. It's about equity. And it's about building a stronger, healthier community by making sure the people who live here can also learn and grow here,"
said Rachael Belunza, a nursing student at Hancock College.
Together, these partnerships illustrate how CSU campuses and community colleges are working to expand bachelor's degree opportunities in ways that reflect regional educational and workforce priorities.
Supporting Workforce Needs in South County San Diego
Like the partnerships taking shape on the Central Coast, Cal State San Marcos is using the model to expand access to bachelor's degrees in South County San Diego while supporting regional workforce needs.
In fall 2026,
CSUSM launched bachelor's pathways in business administration, computer information systems and cybersecurity in partnership with Southwestern College.
These fields were selected based on findings from the “2023 Workforce and Education Needs Assessment" conducted by the San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center, Southwestern College and the City of Chula Vista. The report identified business, healthcare and technology, including cybersecurity and information systems, as among the highest-priority fields for new bachelor's degree programs in South County.
The partnership established
CSUSM @ SWC, a new University Center located on the Southwestern College Chula Vista campus that hosts the programs.
“At Cal State San Marcos, our mission has always been centered on access and student success—and this partnership with Southwestern College is a powerful extension of that commitment," said CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt. “By creating seamless pathways to higher education, we are not only expanding economic opportunity in South County, we are advancing social mobility for generations of students, families and communities."
CSUSM plans to launch two additional programs in fall 2027: human development with an emphasis on wellness coaching and bilingual speech-language pathology.
As additional CSU campuses explore similar partnerships, these bachelor's degree pathways demonstrate how the CSU and California Community Colleges are working together to expand access to affordable, high-quality education. By bringing CSU instruction and support services directly into local communities, the programs help more students earn bachelor's degrees while strengthening California's workforce and economy.
Watch a video about Cal Poly's sociology Bachelor's Pathway Program to learn more about the benefits of these partnerships.
The CSU partners with community colleges in a variety of ways to help students transfer and increase access to bachelor's degrees.
Learn more about CSU transfer pathways for students.