SMCCCD’s Free College Made Permanent as Governor Newsom Signs SB 968

Senator Becker and Assemblymembers Papan and Berman led the effort to remove the initiative’s 2028 sunset date 

San Mateo, CA — Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 968 on June 29, 2026, permanently authorizing San Mateo County Community College District’s (SMCCCD) Free College initiative and removing its scheduled 2028 sunset date. The bill was authored by State Senator Josh Becker and coauthored by Assemblymembers Diane Papan and Marc Berman. 

Established under SB 893 (Becker, 2022) as a five-year pilot, Free College has allowed SMCCCD to use its existing local property tax revenue, without state general fund dollars, to eliminate tuition and registration fees for qualifying San Mateo County residents attending Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College. Since launching in 2023, more than 35,000 students have benefited from the program, with nearly 70 percent of enrolled students, an average of 12,489 each semester, participating. Districtwide enrollment has grown 24 percent since fall 2022, with the largest gains in Half Moon Bay (34 percent), East Palo Alto (33 percent), and Redwood City (31 percent). More than half of Free College students are first-generation and female, and nearly three-quarters come from communities of color. 

“Permanent Free College in San Mateo County is now a reality thanks to Senator Josh Becker,” said Melissa Moreno, Chancellor of the San Mateo County Community College District. “We hear from our students every day how Free College has changed their lives, and we know this will have generational impacts for years to come. Students participated in this effort and saw firsthand the power of legislation.” 

Free College students have also seen stronger outcomes: they are twice as likely to complete an associate degree overall, and three times as likely to complete within two years, compared with non-participants. 

“As trustees, our responsibility is to steward local resources in ways that deliver real results for students and the broader community,” said Wayne Lee, President of the SMCCCD Board of Trustees. “Free College represents a significant reinvestment in students’ ability to be part of the workforce and contribute to the San Mateo County community. Thank you to Senator Becker and Assemblymembers Berman and Papan for championing free college for the success of our students.” 

“We are deeply grateful for Senator Becker’s leadership on the Free College initiative which has already changed the lives of over 35,000 students,” said John Pimentel, SMCCCD Trustee and architect of the Free College pilot. “Moving forward, SB 968 will provide the stability needed to sustain that success and ensure students and families can plan for the future with confidence.” 

“Free College combined with other resources available to students including Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) amplifies the affordability of community college,”said SMCCCD Trustee Lisa Petrides. “We proved that even small costs are a huge barrier to our students.” 

SB 968 drew broad support, including from Congressman Kevin Mullin, San Mateo County Supervisors, the San Mateo County Office of Education, Jefferson Union High School District, San Mateo Union High School District, and a coalition of local labor and business organizations including the San Mateo Labor Council and the San Mateo County Chamber. 

SMCCCD thanks Governor Newsom for signing the bill, and Senator Becker, Assemblymembers Papan and Berman for their leadership in advocating and moving this bill through the Legislature.  

To learn more about Free College, including student success stories, visit the Free College Impact webpage.  

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Media Contact: David McLain, Community & Government Relations, SMCCCD, (650) 730-8049 or mclaind@smccd.edu. 

About San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD): SMCCCD operates three colleges, Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College, that provide community college educational services to the residents of San Mateo County. The District’s colleges serve over 30,000 students annually and offer the first two years of college-level instruction in various transfer and career-technical programs. The District is governed by a six-member Board of Trustees, with five voting members elected by voters from designated areas of the County and one nonvoting student member elected by students. For more information, see smccd.edu.