California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2374 on Tuesday, creating a pathway for the state's higher education institutions to be designated as California Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander-serving institutions.
The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Mike Fong (D–Alhambra), was a priority of the California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. It establishes a framework for campuses seeking the designation to develop a strategic plan focused on student success, including improving retention and graduation rates and providing academic and basic-needs support.
"California's higher education system is one of our greatest engines of opportunity – and that opportunity must reach every community," Newsom said. "AB 2374 builds on our work to ensure Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander students have the support, resources and opportunities they need to succeed."
Fong said the bill marks a historic step forward in recognizing and supporting AANHPI students across the state. "At a time when Minority-Serving Institutions face growing uncertainty on the federal level, California is reaffirming our commitment to ensuring AANHPI students and the institutions that serve them have the recognition, resources, and support they need to succeed," he said.
California's public colleges and universities serve hundreds of thousands of AANHPI students. Of the roughly 2.2 million students enrolled in California community colleges in the 2024-25 academic year, 248,686 identified as Asian and 7,979 as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. In 2025, the CSU enrolled 471,451 students, including 71,413 Asian students and 1,333 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. The UC enrolled 237,616 students in fall 2025, including 131,933 Asian students and 2,454 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students.
The signing is the latest action in Newsom's broader higher education agenda, which includes multi-year compacts with the UC and CSU, up to two years of tuition-free community college for eligible students, and efforts that have resulted in two-thirds of CSU and UC undergraduates graduating with zero educational loan debt.