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Mass. rolls out college financial aid for all, regardless of immigration status
Undocumented students in Massachusetts are now able to apply for state need-based financial aid through a new program launched Tuesday.
Undocumented students in Massachusetts will now be able to apply for college financial aid through a new state program launched Tuesday.
Released on the Department of Higher Education website this week, the Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MASFA) allows college students without legal immigration status to apply for state need-based financial aid for the first time, the Healey-Driscoll Administration said in a news release.
“Quality higher education should be accessible to all Massachusetts high school graduates,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “Students who have long been part of our communities in Massachusetts should be eligible for the historic financial aid programs we have launched this year, and they should have every opportunity to grow their careers and be part of building our state’s workforce.”
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Healey’s administration has taken a number of steps over the past year to increase access to higher education, and MASFA expands that reach to even more residents. The application’s launch follows the passage of the Tuition Equity Law in August, which allowed undocumented high school students to qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities in Massachusetts.
Accessing higher ed:
The MASFA application released Tuesday is based on the federally run FAFSA for the 2023-2024 academic year, according to the news release. It’s intended for students who are beginning college this spring or who were enrolled in the fall 2023 semester and may qualify for financial aid.
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“Tuition equity is about giving students who have long called Massachusetts home equal access to higher education,” Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler said in a statement. “With the MASFA form providing access to millions of dollars in need-based financial aid, we will be able to give the greatest number of students access to the life changing opportunities that our institutions of higher education offer here in the Commonwealth.”
According to the news release, students are encouraged to apply for MASFA by May 1 and no later than June 30 to receive financial aid for the 2023-2024 school year.
Eligibility criteria includes attending a Massachusetts high school for at least three academic years; graduating from high school or receiving the equivalent of a high school diploma in Massachusetts; signing up for the military draft, if eligible; and completing a DHE affidavit stating that they will apply to become a citizen or permanent legal resident within 120 days after becoming eligible.
In a statement, state Sen. Liz Miranda touched on what the new financial aid opportunity could mean for countless immigrants and families across Massachusetts.
“As a first-generation, Cabo-Verdean American whose parents immigrated to Boston with nothing but hope in their hearts and a pair of working hands, I too come from a mixed status family, and access to state financial aid for all eligible students in the Commonwealth, regardless of immigration status, will be a lever of opportunity that shapes a generation,” Miranda said.
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She added: “This opportunity will enable thousands of talented, hard-working individuals to build a life of meaning and purpose here in the Commonwealth, embracing the very best of who we are as a state.”
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