What You Need To Know As Massachusetts Boosts Aid For Public College - And What's Next
Since 2020, Massachusetts has seen a significant transformation in public higher education, with ambitious new programs, many funded by the Fair Share Amendment, designed to reduce costs and support students at public colleges and universities.
Change is happening quickly, and many residents are seeking clear information about these programs. To address this, the Hildreth Institute is drawing on our years of research and, for this guide, we’ve enlisted the expertise of our Communications Fellow, Max Larkin. This guide is part of a series of occasional citizens' guides that combine our expertise with storytelling to make these policies more accessible. Our goal is to help students, parents, and taxpayers better understand what the programs offer and where gaps may remain.
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Overview of New Financial Aid Programs in Mass.
Notice of Update
We have removed the table originally included in this publication due to regulatory changes affecting MassGrant Plus. A revised version of the table, reflecting the most up-to-date information, will be available soon. We appreciate your understanding and remain committed to providing accurate and timely resources. Please check back for updates.
To view the regulations of each program click below:
To learn about more financial aid opportunities available in Massachusetts, click here.
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Massachusetts is in the middle of an historic reinvestment in affordability at its public colleges and universities.
In just four years, the state’s financial aid programs have more than tripled in size: from $121 million in FY2020 to $404 million in the budget Gov. Maura Healey signed this summer – backed mainly by revenues from the “Fair Share” tax enacted in 2022.
State aid programs now include universal free community college, regardless of household income, an income-based tuition-free grant for public universities, as well as scholarships targeted at students in high-growth fields and some limited efforts to help students access transportation, housing, food and childcare they need to stay in school.
Additionally, the state's 2023 passage of the tuition equity provision guarantees undocumented students access to in-state tuition, fees, and financial aid at Massachusetts public higher education institutions, making these new affordability programs available to them as well.
“We’re so pleased that higher education has — finally — become a priority, and that lawmakers started with the most pressing issue: affordability,” said Bahar Akman Imboden, managing director of the Hildreth Institute.
But Institute research suggests these promising steps are just a start, and won’t address all of students’ and the state’s pressing needs on their own.
Imboden said that data from other states’ tuition-free community college programs show that “enrollment jumps, then slowly falls again. Or many students hear ‘tuition-free’ and enroll — but then colleges aren’t set up to provide the services and the financial aid they need to complete their degrees.”
The rapid expansion in financial aid could leave many families and taxpayers confused about what is available for current and prospective students, what we should be watching for – and why it’s important to keep going.
The Problem
The reinvestment comes after 20 years of underfunding and rising costs for families.
Prior Hildreth Institute research has found that – between 2001 and 2020 – in-state tuition and fees at Massachusetts’ colleges and universities rose by over 50%. Over the same period, the state’s per-student spending on public higher education, once adjusted for inflation, actually declined by 20%.
State financial aid in particular dried up: A 2023 Hildreth Institute report found that, as of 2020, the state was spending less on financial aid – under $500 per full-time student – than all but 15 states and territories, while Mass. students’ debt burdens came to rank fifth-highest among the states.
While in the past, students at Massachusetts’ public universities borrowed less than their peers at private institutions, today they borrow more and graduate with higher debt.
To view data between each college, click below.
The Expansion of MASSGrant Plus
So until 2022, Massachusetts had a lot of ground to make up when it came to access to its public colleges.
But under Gov. Healey and current legislative leadership, that work has begun. Many students seeking seats in the state’s public colleges today will have more affordable options than they did just five years ago.
The expansion began with enhancements to the state's primary need-based aid program, MASSGrant. In 2019, a new modest initiative called MASSGrantPlus was piloted, which provided more grant aid to Pell-eligible (or low-income) students at community colleges. The program has since been extended to include state universities and UMass campuses.
In 2023, with an $62 million investment, the program evolved into what’s called the MASSGrantPlus Expansion.
This expanded program now covers tuition and fees for roughly the lowest-income 40% of state households, while also providing a $1,200 stipend for books and supplies. Additionally, it cuts tuition and fees in half for most families earning less than $100,000 annually. And the expanded MASSGrantPlus now applies to all public institutions in the state.
But the expansion – like the other changes detailed here – has a “last-dollar” design, meaning it only fills gaps left by existing aid, and doesn’t address the indirect costs of attending college, including transportation, housing, food and childcare.
And because most of the state’s lowest-income students were already likely to qualify for tuition-free public higher education even before the expansion, most of the expansion’s benefits will go to low- to middle-income households, earning between $70 and $100,000 a year.
As executive director of OneGoal Massachusetts, Amanda Seider helps high schoolers prepare for postsecondary life – and sees firsthand the weight of unmet financial needs. “Even with tuition and fees covered, there’s just so much that comes up for students — so many expenses.”
Seider said those financial stumbling blocks can be small — like a parking pass — or large, like an unexpected subscription to nursing software that can cost hundreds of dollars. For low-income students, the result is the same, Seider said: “There’s a danger that they’ll come up against some barrier — a $40 hold on their account — and their [college] plans are derailed.”
You can read more about the program’s design and eligibility here.
MassReconnect: A Path To A Free Associate’s Degree After Age 25
Massachusetts’ efforts to offer free community college have gotten particular attention – in part because they’re showing some evidence of a badly-needed turnaround.
Across the state’s 15 community-college campuses, enrollment plunged by over a third between 2013 and 2023.
But last year, Gov. Maura Healey launched “MassReconnect,” offering free community college to state residents 25 or older without a degree.
Like the other programs detailed here, Reconnect only covers direct costs of attending – from tuition and fees to $1,200 worth of books and supplies – leaving transportation and other indirect costs unaddressed.
While Massachusetts leads all states in higher-ed attainment, still, nearly 2.3 million adult residents — almost half of residents over 25 — have no degree.
That’s a problem, says Jennie Williamson, state director of EdTrust in Massachusetts, which works to foster equity from pre-kindergarten to higher education. “By 2031, it’s estimated that 73% of jobs in Massachusetts will require some sort of postsecondary training or degree beyond high school,” Williamson said. “So investing in higher education opportunities is critical for the future of our economy."
MassReconnect could play an important role in allowing a large subset of residents to resume their education journeys. But the program is still new and small; it will take further study to determine whether participants will persist in getting their degrees.
That remains an uncertain proposition at Mass. community colleges, where only about one in five students attain a degree within three years.
The Healey administration has seen the program as an early success, linking it to a 45% increase in over-25 enrollment at the community colleges.
It’s true that over 8,400 such students enrolled this past academic year. But a state analysis found that nearly 3,000 didn’t benefit from MassReconnect. That’s because many students, despite being otherwise eligible, didn’t complete the often-onerous FAFSA form, the key prerequisite for participation.
MassEducate: “Universal” Free Community College
With promising early signs from Mass Reconnect, Senate President Karen Spilka led the push for a broader benefit in the latest legislative cycle.
Earlier this summer, universal free community college passed into the FY 2025 budget under the name “MassEducate” — carrying a price tag of $93 million for its first year.
MassEducate’s tuition coverage has no age or income restrictions, so students from any household can take advantage (provided they fill out their FAFSA form). Happily, the plan includes an additional $1,200 stipend for low-income students.
This program, too, is a significant victory, Imboden said. But some Mass. nonprofits partnered with the institute have early concerns about steering students into community colleges when there might be better resources — and better outcomes — at four-year institutions.
“People are understandably drawn to the idea of ‘tuition-free,’ and it’s easy to see why,” said Hiba Agha, the Hildreth Institute’s director of strategic initiatives. “However, simply increasing enrollment is not enough — the reality is more complex and nuanced.”
While MassEducate is a positive step, it doesn’t fully achieve the level of fairness and equity needed. In fact, like other programs mentioned, it may inadvertently provide more benefits to students from wealthier backgrounds than to those with the lowest incomes.
The state has made commendable efforts to launch support services, “wraparound grants” and basic-needs coverage for lower-income students – but those will have to expand. A prior Institute report found that — even after some of the state’s new investments — nine out of 10 community college students still face over ten thousand dollars in average unmet need each year, due in large part to the state’s sky-high cost of living.
Thankfully, top lawmakers have signaled that they’re not done. As the latest budget cycle drew to a close, Jo Comerford, Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education, said that future efforts will have to address “food, transportation, childcare – the unforeseen expenses that students face.”
“I believe the Senate President would say the same thing… We know we have to go further if we want true equity and true opportunity,” Comerford added.
What Comes Next
This fall marks an exciting time for advocates of high-quality, accessible higher education in Massachusetts, as lawmakers reverse decades of neglect.
But many advocates statewide see room for more, with fewer than 1 in 5 low-income state residents earning a degree within six years of graduating from high school.
In a state economy skewed toward tech and healthcare jobs, that’s a problem, said Ben Forman, research director at MassINC.
“We built a knowledge economy, but we’re not giving youth from low-income backgrounds a chance to participate,” Forman said. He called for a data-informed, multi-front “plan of attack” to work toward education equity for all students.
In coalition with other groups, the Hildreth Institute is focused on that challenge: creating a strong, inclusive economy powered by career-ready Massachusetts residents. And in collaboration with partner organizations, the Institute is putting forward the following next steps to make it happen.
One immediate focus is on strengthening K-12 advising so that all students – especially those from underserved communities – are well-equipped to apply to, enroll in and pay for the right college or university for them.
As of 2022, Massachusetts schools employed only one counselor for over 360 students. That’s a relatively low ratio among the states, but it still means that students have very little face-to-face time with professionals who help them and their families understand the importance of financial aid forms like FAFSA and MASFA and provide guidance tailored to the students’ academic and career goals.
But just as important is student retention and degree completion: in other words, making sure students earn credits and – eventually – their degrees.
The Hildreth Institute is proposing bold initiatives to tackle both financial and non-financial obstacles. This includes more targeted financial aid for low-income students, covering essential living expenses so they can focus on their studies.
Additionally, implementing evidence-based “wraparound” support services – modeled on CUNY’s successful ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs) and ACE (Accelerate, Complete & Engage) programs – will ensure students have the resources they need to stay on track academically, navigate course selections, and ultimately graduate with a career-ready degree.
Finally, the state must track and evaluate these new affordability initiatives to ensure that they’re delivering for students across all demographic groups. That means continuously assessing whether institutions can have the capacity to meet the instructional and support needs of increased enrollments due to these new programs.
The state legislature’s newly-established commission on higher ed quality and affordability has an important role to play as well: reviewing state assistance programs, student costs and debt, support programs for student success, faculty recruitment and retention, and financial aid models to make recommendations for improving accessibility, affordability, and outcomes in higher education.
Finally, to measure the impact of these education reforms, Massachusetts needs a clear, well-maintained view of its residents’ educational journeys — from pre-K through to their careers. The Hildreth Institute hopes the state will establish a centralized, user-friendly data hub to track outcomes, enhance accountability, and support informed decision-making across agencies.
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