CSHE senior researcher Igor Chirikov was recently interviewed by KCRA 3 News to discuss the findings of his study linking food security to higher education success.
The segment highlights a new working paper co-authored by Igor Chirikov and Jesse Rothstein. The study, The Impact of Nutrition Assistance on College Student Success, offers some of the most precise data to date on how California's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—known as CalFresh—directly impacts academic outcomes.
Berkeley, May 4, 2026 – Community college students who receive CalFresh during their first year of college are more likely to stay on track academically and return for a second year, according to a new working paper from the California Policy Lab and the Center for Studies in Higher Education.
Berkeley Talks, a Berkeley News podcast that features lectures and conversations at UC Berkeley, featured the Clark Kerr Lectures in their most recent episode "How the American university’s success led to its modern challenges."
Listen to the episode: https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/05/01/berkeley-talks-the-american-univers...
BERKELEY, CA — A new research paper released by the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals that the common narrative of American educational stagnancy is misleading.
BERKELEY — CSHE Senior Researcher Anne MacLachlan was recently featured in the Daily Californian, providing analysis on a new U.S. Department of Education proposal aimed at curbing federal loans for "low-value" college degrees.
The proposed rule would cut off federal funding for programs where graduates earn less than the average high school graduate. While the Department frames this as a safeguard against predatory debt, MacLachlan warned that a strictly market-driven metric may overlook the broader importance of the humanities and social sciences.
A new report by Bloomberg Businessweek highlights a growing concern for the Class of 2026: a tightening entry-level job market that could have long-term consequences for the broader economy.
Jesse Rothstein, Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Director of CSHE and the California Policy Lab (CPL), provided key insights into why recent graduates are often the first to feel the impact of an economic shift.
In a new essay for the Harvard Law Review Blog, CSHE faculty affiliate Professor Jonathan D. Glater examines the legal mechanisms behind recent federal efforts to overhaul the university accreditation system.
BERKELEY, CA — In a Fortune report published today, "‘Downward mobility is incredibly radicalizing’: The college bargain is broken," a working paper by CSHE Director Jesse Rothstein was cited as key evidence of shifting economic outcomes for graduates. Rothstein’s research reveals a sobering trend: employment growth for recent college graduates never returned to its pre-2008 trajectory, even as late as the eve of the pandemic in 2019.
BERKELEY, CA — In a new analysis published in University World News, John Aubrey Douglass, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE), argues that the global academic community has entered a "neo-academic Cold War." This shift, he contends, is systematically dismantling decades of international cooperation, open science, and institutional autonomy.
A recent news report from the Financial Times (FT) featured insights from ROPS Paper Crisis By Design (authored by Shanshan Jiang-Brittan) in a major investigation into the international student housing market.
Our recent ROPS publication "Divergent Business Models in International Higher Education: A Transatlantic Comparison" was recently featured in Times Higher Education. Authored by David B. Audretsch, Alice Civera, Michele Meoli, and Stefano Paleari, the paper examines the shifting economic sustainability of the U.S. university model compared to its European counterparts.
Read the ROPS paper: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/385370m4
CSHE Director Jesse Rothstein was quoted in a SF Chronicle article on early decisions in college admission.
"For a public school to say 'We'll have a separate pool for students who don't need financial aid' is unfair," said economics professor Jesse Rothstein, director of the Center for Studies in Higher Education at UC Berkeley. "Privates have a little less public accountability. To me it's a little unseemly, but they can make their own decisions.""
A Recent NYT article "Why College Graduates Feel Betrayed" Quoted Jesse Rothstein's paper "Employment Outcomes for College Graduates since the Great Recession" published at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
BERKELEY, CA — The Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) has released a new ROPS paper titled "Divergent Business Models in International Higher Education: A Transatlantic Comparison"The paper, authored by David B. Audretsch, Alice Civera, Michele Meoli, and Stefano Paleari, suggests that the United States’ long-standing preeminence in the sector is facing structural challenges related to economic sustainability and shifting global demand
Professor Jesse Rothstein is hiring a predoctoral research assistant to take part in his academic and policy research.
BERKELEY, CA — As generative artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the classroom, a new study from the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) provides novel large-scale longitudinal evidence of how faculty are responding.
Berkeley, CA - January 13, 2026. Spring 2026 Gardner Fellowships Application Open!
This fellowship supports UC Berkeley doctoral students conducting research related to higher education. Fellows come from a wide range of academic disciplines and contribute to a deeper understanding of higher education through original research.
The fellowship provides up to $5,000 in funding to support student research projects. Funds may be used for specific research needs, including but are not limited to:
The Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) welcomes applications from scholars and researchers in higher education from all over the world to conduct research related to the Center’s areas of expertise. We provide a scholarly home for Visiting Scholars for periods of one to 12 months. Short-term visits can also be arranged by contacting CSHE.
Our goal is to host diverse, engaged visiting scholars, who share their global experiences at UC Berkeley and return to their home institutions with a broader understanding of higher education research and policies.
Berkeley, CA - January 9th, 2026
Berkeleyside recently published a report on "Defying a nationwide trend, UC Berkeley enrolled more new international students this year," discussing the unexpected increase of international students at UC Berkeley. CSHE Director Jesse Rothstein offered insights on the trend:
Berkeley, CA. January 9, 2026 - CSHE is pleased to announce the upcoming 10th Clark Kerr Lecture Series on February 24th and February 26th, 2026. The Clark Kerr Lectures is a biennial series sponsored by the Center for Studies in Higher Education. The series honors Clark Kerr, President of the University of California from 1958 to 1967.
