Starting next fall, UMass Boston will waive tuition and fees for thousands of qualifying in-state students as it joins a small but growing number of four-year universities implementing free-tuition programs.
“Investing in public higher education is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do,” UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco said while addressing students and faculty on the Dorchester campus Tuesday afternoon.
The new initiative will benefit more than 3,000 in-state students from families earning $75,000 or less. UMass Dartmouth, which made the same announcement Tuesday, expects about 1,500 in-state students will benefit from its program. A spokesperson for the UMass president’s office says the option will be rolled out at all four undergraduate UMass options starting in the 2025 academic year.
The initiative, dubbed Beacon Pledge at the Boston school, comes as more and more four-year institutions seek ways to compete with free community college options, which have grown in popularity in Massachusetts and across the country.
Last month, Saint Anselm College, a four-year private school in New Hampshire, announced it would offer free tuition to qualifying 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 make affordability a focal point, four-year schools are feeling the pressure to compete with these offerings.
“When community colleges are less expensive and the public knows about it, four-year colleges have to respond with similar types of programs,” Kelchen explained. “There’s a lot of competition for students. It’s going to get more fierce.”
All colleges are facing a demographic cliff nearing in 2026 because many American families delayed or chose not to have children after the 2008 recession. And administrators at four-year schools have told GBH News they fear community colleges are eating into their enrollment numbers.
While freshman enrollment has dropped this fall — down 5% nationally, according to the National Student Clearinghouse — Massachusetts community colleges are going in the opposite direction. That’s largely due to a new program called MassReconnect, which makes community college tuition-free for many.
Since fall 2023, enrollment in the state’s public two-year colleges has surged by 14%. Meanwhile, over the same period, enrollment at UMass Boston ticked up just 1%.
According to higher education experts, many four-year schools are able to offer free tuition programs at minimal additional costs due to existing state and federal grants that cover a significant portion of tuition for eligible students. At UMass Boston, financial aid officials estimate the new program could cost between $800,000 and $1 million each year.
Suárez-Orozco said more students will have the opportunity to pursue a four-year degree without financial barriers, contributing to the university’s mission of expanding access to higher education.
UMass Boston senior Isabella Pino said, as a first-generation student coming from a Latino family, she felt a lot of pressure to be successful.
“I spent hours during the pandemic researching on Google on any platform, just trying to find the right university for me,” recalled Pino, who’s studying communication and management. “I knew I didn’t want to spend every single waking minute of my time trying to find ways how I can afford my education.”
Pino said UMass Boston gave her the opportunity to graduate debt-free through a combination of federal and state grant programs and institutional financial aid. She applauds the university for expanding its tuition-free program.
“It truly brings me so much joy that this will allow future rising leaders to take full advantage of every single opportunity and their time here,” Pino said.
Half of UMass Boston’s transfer students come from the state’s community college system, but few graduate with a bachelor’s degree within six years. To improve completion rates, last month UMass Boston signed a joint admissions program with nearby Bunker Hill Community College.
“We offer a quality product at a price point that is extraordinarily competitive,” Suárez-Orozco told GBH News. “Our partnerships with the community college systems will continue to grow.”
