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UMass schools will begin offering free tuition to low-income students in fall 2025

UMass schools will begin offering free tuition to low-income students in fall 2025

Starting next fall, UMass Boston will waive tuition and fees for thousands of eligible in-state students, joining a small but growing number of four-year universities implementing free tuition programs.

“Investing in public higher education is both the right and wise decision,” UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco said during an address to students and faculty on the Dorchester campus on Tuesday afternoon.

The new initiative will benefit more than 3,000 in-state students from families earning $75,000 or less. UMass Dartmouth, which announced the same on Tuesday,
expects
Approximately 1,500 state students will benefit from the program. A spokesperson for the UMass Office of the President says the option will be implemented in all four UMass undergraduate majors beginning with the 2025 academic year.

The so-called initiative
Oath of the Lantern
at the Boston school comes as more four-year institutions look for ways to compete with tuition-free colleges, which are becoming increasingly popular in Massachusetts and across the country.

Last month, Saint Anselm College, a four-year private school in New Hampshire, announced it would accept such an offer
free classes
eligible state residents.

Robert Kelchen, a higher education policy expert at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, notes that as community colleges in Massachusetts and other states focus on affordability, four-year schools feel pressure to compete.

“When community colleges are cheaper and the public knows about it, four-year colleges must respond by offering similar programs,” Kelchen explained. “There is a lot of competition among students. It’s going to get more and more fierce.”

All colleges and universities face a demographic cliff looming in 2026 as many American families
delayed or decided not to have children after the 2008 recession
. Administrators at four-year schools told GBH News they are concerned that local colleges are influencing enrollment numbers.

While freshman enrollment is down this fall – by 5% nationwide, according to the National Student Clearinghouse – community colleges in Massachusetts are moving in the opposite direction. This is mainly due to a new program called MassReconnect that makes it possible
free community college for many
.

As of fall 2023, enrollment in two-year public colleges has increased by 14%. Meanwhile, enrollment at UMass Boston increased by just 1% over the same period.

According to higher education experts, many four-year schools are able to offer tuition-free programs at minimal additional cost thanks to existing state and federal grants that cover a significant portion of tuition for eligible students. UMass Boston financial aid officials estimate the new program could cost between $800,000 and $1 million a year.

Suárez-Orozco said more students will have the opportunity to pursue four-year degrees without financial barriers, contributing to the university’s mission of increasing access to higher education.

UMass Boston senior Isabella Pino said that as a first-generation college student from a Latino family, she felt a lot of pressure to succeed.

“During the pandemic, I spent many hours searching Google on any platform trying to find the right college for me,” recalled Pino, who is studying communications and management. “I knew I didn’t want to spend every waking minute trying to figure out how I could afford an education.”

Pino said UMass Boston enabled her to graduate debt-free through a combination of federal and state scholarship programs and institutional financial aid. He praises the university for expanding its free studies program.

“It truly brings me so much joy that it will allow future emerging leaders to make the most of every opportunity and time they have here,” Pino said.

Half of UMass Boston’s transfer students come from in-state colleges, but few graduate with a bachelor’s degree within six years. To improve graduation rates, UMass Boston last month
signed
a joint admissions program with nearby Bunker Hill Community College.

“We offer a high-quality product at an extremely competitive price,” Suárez-Orozco told GBH News. “Our partnerships with community college systems will continue to grow.”

Updated: October 30, 2024

This story has been updated to reflect that other UMass schools beyond UMass Boston will begin offering free tuition to families under $75,000.