2024-111 California Colleges
California’s Systems of Public Higher Education Could Better Address Student Housing Needs
Published: October 14, 2025
Audit Recommendations Disclosure
When an audit is completed and a report is issued, auditees must provide the State Auditor with information regarding their progress in implementing recommendations from our reports at three intervals from the release of the report: 60 days, six months, and one year. Additionally, Senate Bill 1452 (Chapter 452, Statutes of 2006), requires auditees who have not implemented recommendations after one year, to report to us and to the Legislature why they have not implemented them or to state when they intend to implement them. Below is a listing of each recommendation the State Auditor made in the report referenced and a link to the most recent response from the auditee addressing their progress in implementing the recommendation and the State Auditor’s assessment of auditee’s response based on our review of the supporting documentation.
Recommendations to the Legislature
Recommendation 1
If it determines that California’s public higher education systems should assume a stronger oversight role over their respective campuses in planning campus housing to ensure their students’ housing needs are met, the Legislature should clarify state law to declare its intent that the system offices—the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office—should assume a stronger oversight role in planning campus housing and identify the appropriate responsibilities for systemwide oversight.
Agency response status:
Pending
Recommendation 2
If it determines that California’s public higher education systems should assume a stronger oversight role over their respective campuses in planning campus housing to ensure their students’ housing needs are met, the Legislature should require the system offices to each develop and implement a process to biennially assess the unmet demand for campus housing across their respective campuses. Specifically, the Legislature could require systems to obtain relevant information through multiple means, such as administering surveys to their students, performing market demand studies, and evaluating existing student housing databases. To the extent additional staff or resources are needed to complete this periodic assessment, the Legislature should consider appropriating funding to the systems for this effort.
Agency response status:
Pending
Recommendation 3
If it determines that California’s public higher education systems should assume a stronger oversight role over their respective campuses in planning campus housing to ensure their students’ housing needs are met, the Legislature should establish an intersegmental student housing working group composed of representatives from the three system offices. The working group should utilize the systems’ assessment of unmet demand and further analyze systemwide, regional, and campus-specific student housing needs. The Legislature could also direct the working group to develop a statewide plan that identifies opportunities for intersegmental collaboration to build campus housing and that informs future state funding considerations.
Agency response status:
Pending
Recommendation 4
To ensure that housing projects funded by the Grant Program comply with the statutory requirements for the life of the Grant Program-funded facilities, the Legislature should amend the Grant Program to require the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office to report, as part of their capital outlay reporting requirements, on the public benefit provided by their projects—including the number of bedspaces and rents for students with low incomes—for the life of these facilities.
Agency response status:
Pending
Recommendation 5
If the Legislature finds that enabling the systems to request changes to their Grant Program projects does not jeopardize the integrity of the Grant Program, it should amend state law to establish a process for the UC Office of the President and the CSU Office of the Chancellor to request and receive authorization for significant changes to authorized Grant Program projects. This process should, at a minimum, require systems to submit revised applications demonstrating that proposed project changes comply with statutory requirements, such as ensuring a long-term commitment to affordability and supporting public benefit.
Agency response status:
Pending
Recommendations to UC Office of the President
Recommendation 6
To ensure that their campuses comply with Grant Program requirements to provide the promised affordable beds or rents for the lifetime of the facilities, the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office should each establish a policy and process by March 2026 to ensure that beds or rents remain affordable for the life of each campus housing project constructed using Grant Program funding.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
Actions by March 2026:
1) Develop a policy and process for UCOP to confirm with the campuses that the number of affordable rents or beds remain affordable for the life of each project.
2) Develop a template for completion by the campus to be completed and returned to UCOP in June of each year as part of the request for information on State Housing Grant Projects.
3) Circulate draft policy and template to campuses for feedback.
4) Publish requirements and procedures as an update to the Facilities Manual.
Ongoing Annual Housing Grant Reporting, including May and June 2026:
1) Send State Housing Grant information request to campuses in May.
2) Collect campus responses and report to State in June.
Recommendation 7
To ensure that prospective students and their families have access to accurate and reliable information so they can make informed financial decisions about attending college, the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office should each establish procedures by March 2026 to regularly monitor their respective campuses’ compliance with applicable laws relating to the reporting of cost-of-attendance information, such as the cost of housing and meal plans, and direct campuses to correct any disclosures that are incomplete or inaccurate.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
By March 2026, the UC Office of the President will create an annual checklist for every campus Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs to review their website and submit to Graduate, Undergraduate and Equity Affairs (GUEA) certifying compliance. The checklist will cover website content by financial aid, the University Registrar, housing and dining, and basic needs (see below), as well as links between pages to facilitate student and family research on costs. UCOP will collect and review the checklists annually. The Office of the President will further facilitate compliance by providing standardized information to comply with AB 990 (2017-18) and SB 467 (2019-20) and modifying current financial aid student expense budgets to list food and housing costs separately.
To ensure that students can access accurate information online about the available housing assistance services, the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office should each develop a policy by March 2026 that requires its respective campuses to post on their websites key information about any active housing assistance programs and to update at the start of each semester or quarter the following elements of that information:
- Instructions on how to apply for assistance.
- A description of the housing assistance offering.
- Program eligibility criteria.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
The UC Office of the President will issue a communication requiring campus basic needs offices to post instructions on how students can apply for housing assistance, a description of the assistance available and program eligibility criteria. As noted above, compliance with these guidelines will be ensured using a consolidated checklist GUEA will issue to campuses. Campuses will annually verify to UCOP they have completed all items on the checklist. As noted above, UCOP will collect and review the checklists for completion.
Recommendations to CSU Chancellor’s Office
To ensure that their campuses comply with Grant Program requirements to provide the promised affordable beds or rents for the lifetime of the facilities, the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office should each establish a policy and process by March 2026 to ensure that beds or rents remain affordable for the life of each campus housing project constructed using Grant Program funding.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
The Chancellor’s Office is currently in the process of establishing a policy and process to ensure that beds or rents remain affordable for the life of each campus housing project constructed using Grant Program funding.
Recommendation 10
To ensure that prospective students and their families have access to accurate and reliable information so they can make informed financial decisions about attending college, the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office should each establish procedures by March 2026 to regularly monitor their respective campuses’ compliance with applicable laws relating to the reporting of cost-of-attendance information, such as the cost of housing and meal plans, and direct campuses to correct any disclosures that are incomplete or inaccurate.
Agency response status:
Fully implemented
Date of implementation:
Dec. 2025
State Auditor assessment status:
Fully implemented
60-Day Agency Response
The Chancellor’s Office has established procedures to regularly monitor campuses’ compliance with applicable laws relating to the reporting of cost-of-attendance information and to direct campuses to correct any disclosures that are incomplete or inaccurate.
In accordance with the established procedures, on an annual basis, the Chancellor’s Office will query all campus websites to ensure total cost-of-attendance information is posted.
The Chancellor’s Office conducted such a review in the last quarter of 2025 and is collaborating with the campuses as necessary to ensure that the campuses are all in compliance.
Public Reasoning Behind State Auditor 60-Day Assessment
The CSU Office of the Chancellor established procedures, effective October 2025, to annually monitor its respective campuses’ compliance with applicable laws relating to the reporting of cost-of-attendance information. The system documented its first annual review in October and November of 2025, along with corrective actions individual campuses had taken to correct noncompliance.
To ensure that students can access accurate information online about the available housing assistance services, the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office should each develop a policy by March 2026 that requires its respective campuses to post on their websites key information about any active housing assistance programs and to update at the start of each semester or quarter the following elements of that information:
- A description of the housing assistance offering.
- Program eligibility criteria.
- Instructions on how to apply for assistance.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
The Chancellor’s Office is in the process of developing a policy that requires campuses to post on their websites key information about any active housing assistance programs and to update that information at the start of each semester or quarter.
Recommendations to CCC Chancellor’s Office
To ensure that their campuses comply with Grant Program requirements to provide the promised affordable beds or rents for the lifetime of the facilities, the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office should each establish a policy and process by March 2026 to ensure that beds or rents remain affordable for the life of each campus housing project constructed using Grant Program funding.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 31, 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
To address this recommendation, the Chancellor’s Office has developed, and has under review, a statewide policy and implementation framework that applies specifically to student housing facilities constructed or renovated using Affordable Student Housing Program funds. The policy establishes clear affordability standards grounded in Education Code sections 17200-17204 and applicable Budget Act and program award conditions, and it requires campuses to annually certify compliance with those requirements for the life of each grant-funded facility. The framework includes defined processes for annual certification, Chancellor’s Office review, corrective action when necessary, and ongoing recordkeeping to support long-term monitoring and accountability.
To ensure that prospective students and their families have access to accurate and reliable information so they can make informed financial decisions about attending college, the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office should each establish procedures by March 2026 to regularly monitor their respective campuses’ compliance with applicable laws relating to the reporting of cost-of-attendance information, such as the cost of housing and meal plans, and direct campuses to correct any disclosures that are incomplete or inaccurate.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 31, 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
To improve the accuracy and reliability of cost-of-attendance information, the Chancellor’s Office has established procedures to periodically monitor publicly available housing and meal plan cost disclosures for colleges that operate housing or publish such costs. The policy limits the Chancellor’s Office role to monitoring and directing correction of inaccurate or incomplete disclosures and does not assign responsibility for calculating or approving campus cost-of-attendance methodologies. Identified issues are documented and communicated to campuses, which are required to correct the disclosures and confirm completion, ensuring that prospective students and families have access to accurate housing-related cost information.
Public Reasoning Behind State Auditor 60-Day Assessment
The CCC Chancellor’s Office anticipates finalizing and implementing its draft procedures by March 2026.
To ensure that students can access accurate information online about the available housing assistance services, the UC Office of the President, the CSU Office of the Chancellor, and the CCC Chancellor’s Office should each develop a policy by March 2026 that requires its respective campuses to post on their websites key information about any active housing assistance programs and to update at the start of each semester or quarter the following elements of that information:
- A description of the housing assistance offering.
- Program eligibility criteria.
- Instructions on how to apply for assistance.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 31, 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
To ensure students can access accurate information about housing assistance services, the Chancellor’s Office has drafted a policy requiring colleges that offer housing assistance programs to post key program information on their websites and to update that information at the start of each semester or quarter. The required disclosures are limited to a description of the housing assistance offering, eligibility criteria, and application instructions. The policy applies only where such programs exist and focuses solely on transparency and timely updates, without regulating program operations, funding, or eligibility decisions.
Public Reasoning Behind State Auditor 60-Day Assessment
The CCC Chancellor’s Office anticipates finalizing and implementing its draft policy by March 2026.
Recommendations to CSU Chancellor’s Office
To ensure that it creates a student housing plan that comprehensively assesses its projected student housing needs by campus, the CSU Office of the Chancellor should establish a systemwide committee by March 2026 that includes campus and system representatives from key departments such as housing, financial aid, and capital planning and construction. This committee should analyze existing research and student housing information including, but not limited to, enrollment trends and projections, graduation data, and affordability studies to focus system efforts on campuses with the most need for campus housing.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
The Chancellor’s Office is intent on establishing a systemwide committee and has begun to identify potential committee members. The committee will analyze existing research and student housing information including, but not limited to, enrollment trends and projections, graduation data, and affordability studies to focus system efforts on campuses with the most need for campus housing.
To ensure that it creates a student housing plan that comprehensively assesses its projected student housing needs by campus, the CSU Office of the Chancellor should establish a systemwide committee by March 2026 that includes campus and system representatives from key departments such as housing, financial aid, and capital planning and construction. This committee should develop a more sophisticated survey tool to identify the number of students in need of housing who were not accommodated on campus because the campus lacked capacity or rents were too high.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
The Chancellor’s Office is intent on establishing a systemwide committee and has begun to identify potential committee members. The committee will develop a more sophisticated survey tool to identify the number of students in need of housing who were not accommodated on campus because the campus lacked capacity or the rents were too high.
To ensure that it creates a student housing plan that comprehensively assesses its projected student housing needs by campus, the CSU Office of the Chancellor should establish a systemwide committee by March 2026 that includes campus and system representatives from key departments such as housing, financial aid, and capital planning and construction. This committee should examine the system’s student housing needs assessment in its student housing plan for methodological improvements, including incorporating information from the analyses conducted by the committee.
Agency response status:
Not fully implemented
Date of implementation:
March 2026
State Auditor assessment status:
Pending
60-Day Agency Response
The Chancellor’s Office is intent on establishing a systemwide committee and has begun to identify potential committee members. The committee will examine the system’s student housing needs assessment in the student housing plan for methodological improvements, including incorporating information from the analyses conducted by the committee.
To comply with the requirements of the Grant Program, the CSU Office of the Chancellor should refrain from spending Grant Program funding on any projects that have not been submitted to or approved by the Legislature, including the Spartan Village project at San José State.
Agency response status:
Will not implement
State Auditor assessment status:
Will not implement
60-Day Agency Response
As we noted during the audit, per the California Education Code, CSU was the administering entity for the grant program at the time the Spartan Village project was submitted. As a result, the CSU complied with the requirements of the grant program and had the authority to approve the project and to utilize the grant program funding the Legislature allocated to San José State. Therefore, the CSU, with approval from the Board of Trustees, finalized the purchase of the Spartan Village project on December 1, 2025, utilizing grant program funding, which was not only authorized and appropriate, but in the best interest of the State and other stakeholders. We decline to implement the recommendation.
Public Reasoning Behind State Auditor 60-Day Assessment
The CSU Office of the Chancellor continues to assert its belief that state law permits it to redirect Grant Program funding from the approved Campus Village project to the Spartan Village project at San José State. However, as we describe in our report, state law that established the Grant Program does not provide for the substitution of an authorized project with a project that did not go through the required application and review process. We stand by our recommendation that the CSU Office of the Chancellor should refrain from spending Grant Program funding on any projects that have not been submitted to or approved by the Legislature.
