Higher Education Reporter

Location: Oakland, California
Job Category: Online | New Media
Job ID: 11699
Employment Type: Full time
Salary: per year
Posted: 04.08.2026

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Occupations:

Job Description:

Higher Education Reporter
EdSource | California (remote) | $75,000–$100,000
Higher education is under scrutiny, and California, home to the nation’s largest and most diverse higher education systems, is ground zero. Students, faculty, administrators and policy makers are facing fundamental questions: Is college worth it? For whom and compared to what? How can the state deliver on the promise of economic mobility for students from all backgrounds?
We’re looking for a reporter to cover higher education as part of the broader picture of how young Californians are trying to get ahead. While the job focuses on the California State University’s 22 campuses, it will also cover the trends reshaping higher education today. That includes a changing job market and the impacts of AI both in education and the world students are entering post-graduation.  
EdSource’s stories work on multiple levels: an understanding of the policy alongside ground-level reporting on how changes affect real students and their lives. This role is one of the most interesting beats in education journalism. You will be covering the largest public 4-year university system in the country — and the students, faculty, and staff who make it run, struggle, innovate, and sometimes fail. 

What you’ll cover

• The ROI debate: whether a four-year degree still delivers, and for whom. How the CSU system is responding to shifting policy and public skepticism.
• The space between K-12 and higher education: whether California’s schools are genuinely preparing students for what comes next. How are they being held accountable, and what are state policy makers looking to do to give Californian students the education foundation they need to succeed? 
• AI on campus: policy, practice, and impact on students.
• Achievement gaps, graduation rates, and college readiness.
• Campus life and culture: student activism, what’s happening in classrooms, the debates and controversies that define this moment in higher education.
• Solutions and innovation: how institutions are tackling persistent problems, and whether those efforts are working. How are other universities addressing some of the same challenges and what can CSU learn from them? 

What you’ll do

• Report and write news briefs, deeper dives off the news and enterprise stories, always with an eye to audiences’ interests. Every day, we connect the dots for readers, explaining what is happening and its significance. 
• Pitch story ideas ahead of the moments that matter — deadlines, transfer windows, a big board of trustees meeting, budget votes, enrollment drops.
• Build the beat with audiences in mind: students, counselors, parents, faculty, staff, administrators, policymakers. Write with a sense of who needs this information, how to make your journalism clear and useful, and what they’ll do with it.
• Collaborate with EdSource’s data team.
• Contribute to EdSource newsletters and maintain an active social media presence.
• Work independently on deadlines and as part of a collaborative team.

Job Requirements:

What we’re looking for

• 3+ years of daily journalism experience
• A track record of making complex policy clear and compelling
• Enterprise instincts: the ability to step back, identify what matters, and pursue stories that others aren’t telling
• Comfort with data and spreadsheets; ability to work with our data and visualization team
• Education journalism experience is preferred, not required 
• Audio/video skills a plus
• About EdSource
  Founded in 1977, EdSource is an independent nonprofit and the authoritative source for education reporting in California. We have the state’s largest team of education reporters, a strong data and visualization operation, and a track record of coverage that sets the agenda. This position is represented by the EdSource Guild.
  To apply
  Send a cover letter, resume, three references and three to six work samples (links or attachments) to jobs@edsource.org by April 30. Include the job title in the subject line and note how you heard about the opening.
  EdSource is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages candidates from all backgrounds to apply.