Chanting "No more cuts!" and "Education should be free!" Solano Community College student Tara Norman joined a large crowd of college and university students Monday for a boisterous rally and protest in Sacramento against more cuts to higher education.

More than 1,000 college students from across California converged on the Capitol to decry slashed budgets and rising fees at public universities and community colleges.

"I was excited to see so many people were there caring about higher education and we were all there for the same cause," Norman said.

The March on March for Higher Education included students walking from Raley Field in West Sacramento to the North Steps of the Capitol to demand more funding for public education.

Lasting several hours, it was the third such major protest this month.

Nearly 25 Solano College students took part, some carrying a large banner, and signs with such slogans as "Don't Kill My Education" and "No More Cuts. I Need My Education."

Nearly 30 students from Napa Valley College also participated, including Alex Shantz, who is worried about higher tuition and other fees.

"It was empowering to a lot of people," Shantz said. "People were demanding and were fired up. They are angry because the economy is bad and they are cutting so much for education."

Another student, Amoriah Hartley, 31, a sociology student at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, said