California education systems issue statement on helping students through admissions challenges

California’s leading higher education and K-12 systems issued a joint statement highlighting their efforts to help high school and community college students face admissions challenges that have arisen during the coronavirus pandemic.

The statement was issued by the California State Board of Education, California Department of Education, California State University, University of California, California Community Colleges, and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.

In the statement, they noted that the higher education systems will accept “credit” grades rather than traditional letter grades for any of the required A-G high school courses completed in winter, spring or summer 2020. Community college students can also use “credit” grades for prerequisite courses when attempting to transfer to a four-year university this fall, the statement notes.

The higher education systems are also offering flexibility for when students have to submit their official transcripts and will re-evaluate eligibility for financial aid for families “whose circumstances have changed,” the systems said in the statement.