Debt-Free Public Higher Education

Despite being one of the wealthiest states, Massachusetts ranks 37th in the country in state-funded financial aid to residents, MA’s students carry the 5th highest debt burden in the nation.

Indeed, the cost of tuition has jumped by 59 percent since the turn of the century, and 8 out of 10 students at the state’s four-year public institutions have $12,000 in unmet financial need each year.

Cuts in state support for public higher education have contributed to some of the highest tuition and fees increases in the nation. The share of costs borne by students and their families doubled over this period, with an even higher burden on communities of color, putting a degree out of reach for more and more students.

Massachusetts recently took a major step forward by making community college free. But we need to ensure that students can graduate from any of our public colleges and universities without debt.

A postsecondary degree provides a proven premium in lifetime wages for graduates, and has become a commonplace requirement for a wide range of job types. The cost of higher education should not be a barrier. By preventing young people from living independently, buying a home, or pursuing their career of choice, college debt is a drag on our economy. Even when students drop out due to cost, they can be saddled with debt for years after, and have a much more difficult time finding jobs.

The Solution

This bill would guarantee free public higher education as a right for all high school graduates of Massachusetts, and create a grant program to pay the full cost of tuition and fees for eligible students at any Massachusetts public college or university, or at certificate, vocational, or training programs at a public institution, up to the equivalent of four years of public college or university.

This aid is supplemental, and therefore would not affect students’ eligibility for other state grants, gift aid, institutional aid, or federal aid, enabling them to use such aid for textbooks, housing, and food, all of which many students struggle to afford today.