Which older foster youth are now eligible for priority enrollment under this bill?
Short answer
Assembly Bill 2766 extends priority enrollment eligibility to former foster youth who are older than 25, but only if they are enrolled in the NextUp program. This provision applies specifically to students within the California Community Colleges system. Under current law, priority registration is generally limited to foster youth up to age 25.
What the bill or law says
The legislation amends the Education Code to adjust who qualifies for priority registration. While existing statutes grant priority to foster youth up to age 25, AB 2766 creates an exception for older students. The bill explicitly states that former foster youth older than 25 are eligible for priority enrollment if they participate in the NextUp program. NextUp is a support service designed for foster youth attending community colleges. This change ensures that older students who may take longer to complete their degrees due to work or other challenges can still access early registration benefits. The bill does not extend this specific age exemption to the California State University or University of California systems in the same manner, focusing the expansion on the community college segment where NextUp operates.
How it works in practice
For a student to benefit from this provision, they must first verify their status as a former foster youth. Then, they must be actively enrolled in the NextUp program at their community college. Once these criteria are met, the student receives priority registration rights similar to those given to younger foster youth. This allows them to sign up for classes before the general student population opens registration. The goal is to help these students secure seats in required courses, which supports their academic persistence and graduation rates. Campus administrators will need to coordinate between financial aid, foster youth services, and registration offices to ensure eligible students are correctly identified and granted these privileges.
What the source does not answer
The provided text does not specify the exact administrative steps a student must take to prove NextUp enrollment for registration purposes. It also does not detail how many students over age 25 are currently participating in NextUp or project how many might newly qualify for priority enrollment. Additionally, the source does not explain whether there are any limits on the number of units or semesters for which this extended priority applies. There is no information on how this change might impact registration timelines for non-foster students in high-demand majors.