Your morning catch-up: California students are heading out of state for college, tips for your holiday leftovers and more big stories.

California, we have a problem.

The Golden State is home to the largest public four-year higher education system in the country, and has some of the nation’s most affordable and highest-ranked public universities.

Yet, students from California are heading out of state for college now more than ever.

The University of California system admitted 100,947 first-year California students in the fall — its largest class, up more than 7% from 2024. But that pales in comparison with the number of students the state is losing.

According to a Public Policy Institute of California report released last month, the share of college-bound California

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