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Public colleges in Mass. see enrollment boost for first time in nearly a decade. Community college students are the sole driver.
Overall enrollment is up nearly 3% from last fall, but the increase is attributed to an 8% boost in community college enrollment.
After almost a decade of declining student enrollment throughout Massachusetts’ entire public college system, numbers are up for the first time since 2013, new data from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education shows.
Overall enrollment is up nearly 3% from last fall. But, the increase is attributed solely to an 8% boost in the community college population; the UMass system and four-year state schools both did not increase enrollment this year.
Overall, there are more than 4,000 additional students compared to last year.
First-time and transfer student populations are also on the rise after falling dramatically during the pandemic. After a less than 1% increase last year, there’s been a 5% rebound in those populations across all three systems since the pandemic’s start, with 12% at community colleges and around 3% at state schools.
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The data is a “first look” at the figures this fall, the Department of Higher Education said. Early next year, the department will confirm the data, along with more information on retention, age, race, and the impact of state programs.
Is free community college driving the increase?
All three branches of public colleges took a hit to their student population in 2020, especially community colleges with an 11% decrease. The following two years, enrollment went down by 4% each year again. Now, they’ve rebounded in a big way.
Gov. Maura Healey announced a plan earlier this year to make community college free for any resident over 25 without a college degree through MassReconnect, a $20 million initiative. Healey also provided each community college with $100,000 to support its execution this fall.
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Massachusetts is home to 15 community colleges. Each campus saw an increase in enrolled students this year, according to the Department of Higher Education.
The initiative is also bolstered by $18 million in community college nursing scholarships.
According to a Boston.com poll of more than 400 readers, a majority (86%) showed support for the program, and a majority (73%) of readers who said they were eligible also said they would participate in the program.
Adult enrollment, which includes students aged 25 and up, has been plummeting for a decade, with more than a 10% decline last year. The additional data released early next year will confirm whether MassReconnect’s free community college initiative is the driving factor behind recent increases in enrollment.
Patrick Tutwiler, the secretary of education, said this is a “turn of the tide.”
“This enrollment data supports anecdotes that I’ve been hearing from students, faculty, staff, and families across the Commonwealth,” Tutwiler said in a press release about the new data. “Students are already taking advantage of the historic new opportunities available to them under the Healey-Driscoll administration.”
UMass and state schools
Both the UMass school system and all state schools reported 1% or less decrease in enrollment this year.
UMass, made up of five campuses, steadily increased enrollment all throughout the 2000s before the pandemic. After a 3% decrease in 2020, enrollment hasn’t trended positively since.
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The state school system, including six schools and three specialized colleges, has seen a decrease in enrollment since 2014. After a 7% decrease in both 2020 and 2021, state schools decreased enrollment this year by only .6%.
Last month, Healey announced $62 million in new financial aid for public school students. Approximately 25,000 students will have free or discounted tuition through the MASSGrant Plus Expansion. The funds will retroactively be applied to the fall of 2023.
“Our administration is thrilled to hear that our efforts to expand access to higher education are showing results,” Healey said in release about the new data.
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