You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
A recent expansion of a Massachusetts financial aid program will benefit approximately 25,000 students across the state’s public community colleges and state universities, according to an announcement by the state’s governor, Maura Healey, and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll.
The MASSGrant Plus Expansion program, announced Wednesday, will be paid for with $62 million in new program funding raised through a surtax on individuals with annual incomes over $1 million.
The program will cover tuition, fees, books and supply costs for low-income students who qualify for the federal Pell Grant, a population that makes up about a third of all University of Massachusetts students. The program will reduce out-of-pocket expenses for middle-income students, those who earn between $73,000 and $100,000 annually, by up to half.
“MASSGrant Plus Expansion by the Healey-Driscoll Administration is a game changer for state university students,” John Keenan, president of Salem State University and chair of the State Universities Council of Presidents, said in the press release announcing the program expansion. “This unprecedented investment will allow more of the Commonwealth’s students to pursue their dreams of a college education. It’s a win for them and a win for the future Massachusetts workforce.”
The financial aid will be retroactive to the start of the fall 2023 semester for currently enrolled students who qualify.
