As the University of California Academic Senate deliberates whether to recommend reinstating standardized testing for freshman applicants, research from the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) is playing a central role in the systemwide conversation.
A recent EdSource report, "UC freshmen increasingly are not ready for college math. Some professors want to require the SAT again," highlights a sharp division among UC faculty. While over 1,400 STEM faculty members have signed an open letter advocating for the return of the SAT/ACT to gauge math readiness, opponents of high-...
Assistant Professor in Economics at the University of Copenhagen
Franziska Valder is an Assistant Professor in Economics at the University of Copenhagen working on topics in labor, health, and education economics. Her research examines how social policies shape life-cycle outcomes, focusing on labor market outcomes, human capital formation, and fertility choices, with particular attention to the role of mental health, using administrative and survey data. She received her PhD from KU Leuven in 2021.
Franziska has received a grant by the Independent Research Fund Denmark to investigate the role of teachers for students with mental,...
BERKELEY, CA — A new study led by Igor Chirikov, a senior researcher at UC Berkeley’s Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) reveals that two-thirds of undergraduates at major U.S. public research universities utilized generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) during the 2023–2024 academic year. Both AI adoption and AI-assisted misconduct vary dramatically depending on the student's academic field.
While the dominant public narrative often points to a "learning recession" based strictly on K-12 standardized test scores, this research looks more broadly at youth ages 15–25...
Nearly half of California community college students report struggling with food insecurity. SNAP food benefits (known as CalFresh in California) can help reduce student hunger. Alleviating hunger among students should lead to improved educational outcomes, but rigorous research on this topic remains scarce. Our recent study (The Impact of Nutrition Assistance on College Student Success) helps to close that gap, using a compelling matching design with...
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.
The research finds that students who maintained CalFresh benefits throughout their first year were more likely to complete a full-time course load (30 or more credits) and more likely to enroll...
Our research demonstrates that the current narrative of education stagnancy or decline is misleading. We focus on ages 15–25 and find a pattern of growth and progress in Advanced Placement, dual enrollment (i.e., combining high school and college), four-year colleges/universities growth and completion, apprenticeships, certificates, and credentials. Together, these elements significantly increase the number of years U.S. students spend in education and their attainment. Just as importantly, however, our analysis identifies where current research and data infrastructure fall short. While...
New UC Berkeley Report Challenges Return to SAT: Calls for Public Universities to Double Down on Public Mission
Berkeley, CA – September 30, 2025 — As a number of elite “Ivy-Plus” universities have reinstated SAT and ACT requirements, a new research report by Saul Geiser, Senior Associate at UC Berkeley’s Center...
The way instructorssupport or restrictstudent use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools shapeswhich skills students developin collegeand their preparation for AIaugmented jobs. This paper introduces a taskbased approach toAI and skill formationtostudy...
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