How one Cal State campus is trying to break out of a doom loop of declining enrollment

Cal State Dominguez Hills is trying to stop a steep enrollment slide by helping freshmen and dropouts stay in school. The campus is focusing on summer bridge classes and a re-enrollment effort as key fixes. Officials say enrollment is down about 20% since 2020. The campus has laid off staff and expects deeper losses. A Cal State budget gap is adding pressure statewide. Universities receive state funding based on in-state enrollment goals. Dominguez Hills is expanding its free First Year Experience summer program. The campus says its participants return for year two far more often. The school also recruits students who dropped out through its “Once a Toro” program. It says many returners later graduate.