Free College
Free College at CSM. Our Investment is You!
Having completed its third year of a five-year pilot, Free College (Senate Bill 893) keeps the promise simple: reduce the cost so San Mateo County residents can focus on progress.
Since Fall 2022, total enrollment has increased by 24%, and 26,656 students in San Mateo County have directly benefited from zero-tuition access, a real opportunity for many first-generation and historically underserved learners.
By March 1, 2026, the San Mateo Community College District will submit a state report on access, outcomes, and fiscal impact, while our Trustees and the Chancellor continue to prioritize program sustainability.
What Free College Covers (SB 893)
Enrollment fees
Waives the state-mandated $46 per unit fee for San Mateo County residents enrolled at our colleges.
The “Three Ts” for students with financial need
Targeted support for transportation, textbooks, and technology; select other required campus fees may also be covered.
Free College Cleared the Path
CSM student Maryanna Oliveira shows what this looks like. She arrived unsure if college
was financially possible, and then Free College cleared the path. With fees waived,
she built a full schedule that fed both her transfer goals and her curiosity (yes,
even a favorite songwriting class).
“CSM gave me the opportunity I needed to turn that around,” she says, on track and
thriving.
