College access and affordability were the focus of a special event on Monday, hosted by the University of California, Davis; Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.); Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.); and Deputy Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education Jamie Studley.

The Department of Education has already held several public forums across the country to gather feedback on President Barack Obama’s plan to create a college ratings system. The proposal would rate colleges based on a variety of factors that could ultimately determine the distribution of federal financial aid dollars.

The UC Davis event provided a roundtable for invited participants, including students, parents, education advocates and academic leaders.

“As leaders and stakeholders in higher education, making college accessible and affordable for all students must be our highest priority,” UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi said. “UC Davis is the perfect location to discuss these issues. Our enrollment of low-income students is well above the national average, and we are investing tremendous resources in both programs and financial aid to make sure our students are not burdened by unmanageable debt when they graduate.”

At UC Davis, nearly 70 percent of undergraduates received some form of gift aid in 2012-2013, with 53 percent of undergraduates receiving enough assistance to have their systemwide tuition and fees fully covered.

Based on feedback from both the public forums and education roundtable meetings, the Department of Education plans to provide a preliminary report with recommendations for the structure of the ratings system in the spring.