California must ease transfer barriers to universities, report says.

California should do a better job of transferring community college students into four-year universities, according to a new report from the state Legislative Analysts Office. The report found that one reason students find it difficult to transfer is that course alignment and articulation "remain problematic." Students "have to navigate a complex maze of transfer admissions requirements and often receive conflicting information" from campuses they seek to apply to, according to the report.

The state's budget woes have accelerated efforts to improve transfer rates, because more students consider spending their first two years of college at community college due to the lower …