Hildreth Institute in MetroWest Daily News

Mass. has expanded its free tuition policy at community colleges. What's the impact?

This article originally appeared in MetroWest Daily News.

Grace Arena graduated last spring from Keefe Regional Technical High School in Framingham — the same school her grandfather, father and older brother attended, and where she won a silver medal in first aid/CPR at the SkillsUSA National Conference during her senior year. 

Arena committed to MassBay Community College, pointing to its well known nursing program and affordable costs. During her orientation, Arena and her parents learned about a new program called MassEducate that covers community college tuition for Massachusetts residents who are enrolled in at least six credits.

“I have three siblings, so there’s a lot of work to do, a lot of stuff to pay for,” said Arena, who lives in Framingham. “For us, it was a great opportunity because now I can go to school and I don’t even have to worry about having to pay for it. And it’s good for my family, too.”

State Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, proposed the state invest $75.5 million to cover college tuition and fee costs, as well as provide a stipend of up to $1,200 for books, supplies and other needs, according to a press release outlining the Senate’s fiscal 2025 budget proposal. The final fiscal 2025 budget that was signed by Gov. Maura Healey includes $93.5 million for the program and other community college initiatives.

For spring '24, MassBay saw 24% year-over-year increase in enrollment

MassEducate expands upon MassReconnect, a program that paid for community college tuition for students older than 25 and which the Healey administration credits for driving community college enrollment up by nearly 45% one year after its launch in 2023.

MassBay, which has campuses in Wellesley, Framingham and Ashland, saw its enrollment increase by 14% in fall 2023 and 24% in spring 2024 when compared to the same periods a year earlier, according to MassBay President David Podell.

“We could see that MassEducate and MassReconnect were coming, and we prepared,” Podell said. “We hired some more faculty, and we hired more staff … It was, of course, a lot of work, but that’s OK. We’re here to work. We’re here to serve the students.”

Cape Cod Community College had to close its applications seven business days before its deadline this year because of the large influx of applicants, according to MassLive. This semester, the school's enrollment is up 31%.

Think tank questions whether program benefits all students equally

A recent study by a higher education think tank does raise some questions about who actually benefits from the program.

The Hildreth Institute, a Boston-based nonprofit research firm, gathered data to compare the amount of benefits students at different income levels received through MassEducate. It found that families who earn $96,000 or higher annually receive more in stipends than those in lower income brackets.

That's because the program offers a so-called "last dollar" grant, which “covers the gap” of anything that was not covered by a student’s existing financial aid, said Bahar Akman Imboden, managing director and founding member of The Hildreth Institute.

“MassEducate does present a crucial step forward in expanding access to higher education,” she said. “What we were concerned about is that the necessary support systems may not be in place to make these invested dollars go further, and one aspect of it is the financial aid and how it’s distributed.”

The Institute also looked at racial disparity, citing that for every dollar a person of color received through MassEducate, a white student received $1.45. Akman Imboden said that people of color tend to be in lower income brackets and further iterations of the program should take that into account when disbursing funds.

Meanwhile, Arena said she can “focus on what matters,” such as her grades and family, and not have to stress about finances. 

“This is really a revolution in Massachusetts,” Podell added. “It’s amazing that the state is willing to pay for students’ community college education, to advance the students themselves, their families and to advance the commonwealth, because with more people educated, they’re better trained for jobs, they’ll fill workforce gaps … everybody wins, which is really incredible.”