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Guaranteed SJSU admission for eligible Morgan Hill students
The Morgan Hill Unified School District and San Jose State University on Thursday announced a new partnership that guarantees eligible graduates a spot at the university starting next fall.
MORGAN HILL, Calif. - The Morgan Hill Unified School District and San Jose State University on Thursday announced a new partnership that guarantees eligible graduates a spot at the university starting next fall.
The program, called Guaranteed Pathway, will admit Morgan Hill Unified seniors who complete their required coursework with at least a 2.5 GPA. District Superintendent Carmen Garcia said the plan could "dramatically increase the number of students who are able to go to college."
Forty percent of Morgan Hill Unified students have parents who did not graduate high school, Garcia said.
San Jose State President Cynthia Teniente-Matson added that the program gives students an incentive from their first year of high school.
"Knowing you have a spot at San Jose State if you do well in high school changes everything," she said.
Andrew Wright, the university’s senior associate vice president for enrollment management, said he expects to see "several hundred" more students from Morgan Hill apply.
Education experts say the effort also reflects shifting demographics.
Nationwide, the number of high school graduates is expected to decline through 2041, largely because of falling birth rates that began during the Great Recession.
"In states like California there are simply going to be fewer graduates in the future," said Patrick Lane of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. "The fact is, fewer babies were born 18 years ago."
The shrinking pipeline of students has put pressure on colleges to compete for applicants.
Other California State University campuses, including East Bay and Sonoma State, already offer guaranteed admission programs.
Parents and students in Morgan Hill say the partnership is a welcome relief.
"It makes it easier for parents who are worried about out-of-state tuition," said Mariana Marmolejo, whose child attends Live Oak High School.
Student Alana Berador called the guarantee "beneficial to everyone at school."
Another feature of the partnership will allow students to earn college credit while still in high school through dual-enrollment classes taught on their campuses. Both programs take effect in fall 2026.