For rural students, access to higher education often comes with added barriers, including limited transportation and a lack of bilingual support services.

To address those gaps, a new pilot program aimed at expanding postsecondary access for bilingual students in rural communities launched this month at three Northern California community colleges: Butte College, College of the Redwoods and Lassen College.

The program introduces Cali, a “human-centered” AI tool designed to enhance—not replace—human support. Cali can converse in more than 140 languages and help students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the California Dream Act Application (CADAA). The tool is expected to reduce errors on the forms and help students stay on track toward enrollment and graduation.

Kevin Kelly, executive director of the California Community Colleges Digital Center for Innovation, Transformation & Equity, said higher education leaders don’t often consider the challenges rural students face.

“Students may be large distances away from campus, so not having to come to campus to get the help they need is a benefit,” Kelly said. “Access to resources is a critical component of student success, and if students can get that support from wherever they are, it helps them stay in school.”

Kelly said the initiative is especially important given the diversity of California community college students, many of whom speak Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese or Tagalog.

“The ability to have conversations in 140 different languages … provides that flexibility for students to use the one they speak at home and get their questions answered in a timely fashion,” Kelly said.

Why it works: Kelly said the pilot is designed to increase both enrollment and retention by supporting students at every stage of the process, from application through degree completion.

“We have students leaving their academic pursuits for different reasons—whether it’s work, childcare or other life demands,” Kelly said. “So having a platform that reduces some of the barriers that keep students from completing tasks is an important part of this.”

He added that the program will also expand institutional capacity by automating routine questions, allowing staff to spend more time on personalized, high-impact student support.

“Rural colleges often have fewer hands to do the work,” Kelly said. “When you have a tool that can handle, say, 85 to 90 percent of students’ questions, it allows staff members to have deeper interactions.”

He said this would free up staff to engage students in more meaningful conversations about financial aid, which courses to take, how to navigate college as a parent or how to balance school with responsibilities like working on a farm or ranch.

Kelly said the tool will also enable colleges to track student feedback and needs, providing real-time insight that can help strengthen equity and belonging on campus.

He added that the platform nudges students to complete tasks and lets them send questions back, creating an important “feedback loop” so faculty aren’t making assumptions about student needs.

Why it matters: Kelly said adopting a tool like Cali requires institutions to define their approach to AI, often through the creation of an advisory group.

“You’ll see colleges and universities setting up advisory groups, especially around AI, so they’re not just adopting every shiny object on the shelf, but instead choosing tools that truly address the needs of students, faculty and staff,” Kelly said.

Ultimately, Kelly said, it’s important for institutions to pay attention to pilot programs like this so they don’t have to repeat the work.

“Somewhere, someone’s doing something worth watching,” Kelly said. “One of the goals of the [California Community Colleges Digital Center for Innovation, Transformation & Equity] is to highlight those efforts so others don’t have to search for them. This shows that these programs aren’t just good ideas—they improve retention, reduce costs and address enrollment barriers.”

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