CSUDH has launched a new program designed to help students who left the university before completing their degree.
Once a Toro, Always a Toro is a degree completion pathway that removes many of the barriers that often dissuade former students from re-enrolling, giving them the confidence to re-launch their career goals, improving their earning potential, and exemplifying college completion for themselves, their family, and their community.
“CSUDH students who have paused their education often cite the challenges of balancing work, school, family obligations, financial hardships, and personal challenges,” said Sabrina Sanders, who oversees the program. Once a Toro, Always a Toro is CSUDH’s commitment to providing an equitable, student-centered experience which fosters a sense of belonging.”
California has long lagged in producing the number of college graduates to meet the workforce demands of a thriving labor market. Furthermore, the share of adults in California with some college but no degree differs substantially by race and ethnicity, with two-thirds of White adults completing their degree and half of Latino, Black, Native American, and Pacific Islander Californians completing theirs, according to a 2018 study by California Competes.
The California State University (CSU) Graduation Initiative 2025 originated in response to this need for increasing college graduates, and to eliminate the equity gaps for students from underrepresented communities. The CSU is implementing university-wide changes to improve degree completion and is focusing on reenrolling students with some college, no degree.
The Once a Toro, Always a Toro program supports the CSU’s Graduation Initiative by fast-tracking returning students’ reentry, providing seamless reenrollment, and waiving application fees. It will also connect students to campus success centers to support them from re-enrollment, to graduation, to the workforce.
“This is about student success,” said Sanders. “It is about helping students to the finish line to graduation—all students, especially those who may have had to pause their college journey.”
For questions about the Once a Toro, Always a Toro program, contact Sabrina Sanders at sksanders@csudh.edu or (310) 243-3743. For more information, visit www.csudh.edu/future-students/returning.
