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Massachusetts leaders mark launch of Mass Educate at MassBay, tout free community college and support services
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Summary
Governor Maura Healey and state leaders on the MassBay campus in Framingham on Friday celebrated Mass Educate, the state's new program offering free community college tuition and fees for eligible residents, highlighting early enrollment, wraparound supports and outreach plans.
Framingham, Mass.
Governor Maura Healey joined state legislators, education officials and students at MassBay Community College's new Framingham campus to mark the launch of Mass Educate, the Commonwealth's universal free community college initiative. Healey said the program pairs tuition coverage with supports such as housing, food assistance and transportation and reported early enrollment gains.
"We just launched Mass Educate and in the first semester we have more than 10,000 new students," Healey said. She added the administration expects the program to reach roughly 45,000 students within a year and noted an earlier estimate of about 700,000 Massachusetts residents with some college credits as a potential pool for outreach.
The initiative expands on last year's Mass Reconnect, which targeted residents ages 25 and older, and aims to make community college free for a larger cohort of state residents. Secretary of Education Pat Tottweiler said the effort is "the beginning," stressing that community college presidents and campus staff will be central to implementing supports that help students remain enrolled.
"You actually have the supports to stay in college," Healey said, describing efforts to provide what the administration called "wraparound" services — including targeted food-security programs and dual-enrollment expansion — to reduce non-tuition barriers to completion.
Senate President Karen Spilka and Senate Chair Joe Comerford framed the program as a partnership between the administration and the legislature, and emphasized the need to manage growth. "This is an ongoing process," Spilka said, noting work with community college leaders to address increased enrollment and deferred maintenance on campuses.
House Chair Dave Rogers said the wider higher-education package also includes changes affecting state universities; he said students from families with incomes at or below $110,000 will see state university tuition cut in half under related budget measures.
Two students who have benefited from the programs described how Mass Educate changed their plans. "Mass Educate covers tuition and fees for eligible Massachusetts residents," said Sarah Gutierrez, a student trustee at Cape Cod Community College, who said the program allowed her to return to college without the burden of debt. Grace Arena, a MassBay student planning to major in nursing, said completing the FAFSA and enrolling in at least six credits meant "my classes and books would be totally paid for," allowing her family to reduce work hours and stress.
Officials described outreach plans to reach communities with limited English proficiency, including multilingual website updates, partnerships with MassHire and local community organizations, and training for school counselors to guide students to the new benefit. In a question-and-answer exchange, Tottweiler said the state is using lessons from the Mass Reconnect rollout to expand messaging and community partnerships.
No formal votes or regulatory actions were taken at the event. Officials said implementation and continued coordination between the administration, the legislature and community-college leaders are the next steps.
The event was held at MassBay Community College's Framingham campus and included state and local elected officials, higher-education leaders and student speakers.
