The education system in California is based on the California Master Plan for Higher Education, adopted back in the 1960s. It made the education system in the Golden State one of the most successful in the country and the world. Subsequently, many other U.S. states adopted California’s experience.
Thanks to the General plan the access of local students to the state higher education has been simplified, the quality and variety of the programs have considerably increased, and isolated higher educational institutions have united into large, branched networks operated from the unified center. Many state resident students attend California’s top public institutions of higher education at little or no cost.
Private institutions play an important role in California’s education system, both large and powerful, as well as very small. Private institutions, which develop their own methods and standards, support the Master Plan’s vision of broad choice and maximum diversity in higher education options, which should provide opportunities for the well-rounded development of students.
Both private and public institutions of higher education in California are mandatorily accredited by state-mandated agencies.