CSUMB exceeds expectations from a 10-year plan to boost graduation rates.

Celia Jiménez here, thinking about graduation rates at CSU Monterey Bay. About a decade ago, California State University started an ambitious plan: the Graduation Initiative 2025. 

The $3 billion plan focused on increasing graduation rates, ending equity gaps among students and fulfilling the state’s workforce needs. In October, the CSU system shared the results of this decade-long effort and CSUMB was the only campus to achieve its target on all categories. Categories included graduation rates among different types of students, including freshmen and transfer students, and those with varying pathways to graduation.

“These increases in graduation rates mean more lives and families transformed, and skilled workers to support our local industries and communities,” says Andrew Lawson, provost and vice president for academic affairs at CSUMB. “Students graduating earlier means that they are entering their careers earlier to begin earning and moving up the economic ladder coupled with reduced costs of additional years in college.”

CSUMB’s graduation rates among first-time four-year students increased 23.4 percent, the third highest in the CSU system. Transfer students' two-year graduation rates had a 32.7-percent increase, nearly 21-percent higher than the target the Chancellor’s Office set for them. 

First-time four-year graduation rates rose from 23.1 percent at the start of the initiative (cohort 2011) to 46.5 percent this year (cohort 2021), a 23.4-percentage point increase.

All departments at CSUMB were involved in achieving these goals, including finance, administration, academics and student affairs. The school received $3.5 million from the initiative and since 2024, has added $500,000 to its budget to retain students and increase graduation rates. 

CSUMB made various core changes, including streamlining its curriculum, redesigning courses with high failing rates and guaranteeing admission for local students who completed an associate degree.

It also added additional support for students and provided professional development for teachers. “This achievement took innovation, partnership and a shared belief in our students’ potential,” Lawson says.

The school not only focused on academics to achieve these goals. It also included campus life. 

“We built a culture of belonging through new traditions like the Otter Plunge, Monte’s 5K and our student success centers, because we know that connection drives persistence,” Lawson adds.

Graduation rates aren't the only thing that have grown over the years. The student population has also increased. In the fall of 2023, 6,742 students enrolled at CSUMB, rising to 8,233 in fall 2025.

Even with what CSUMB has accomplished over the past decade, challenges remain. Despite being one of the most affordable CSU campuses, the area has a lack of affordable housing, making it difficult to recruit and retain students. 

The college is exploring various alternatives to make it easier for students to live on or near campus. A project to turn Gavilan Hall into student housing should help continue that positive momentum.