{"id":23205,"date":"2023-08-01T00:34:19","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T04:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2023\/08\/01\/tuition-equity-bill-included-in-state-budget-allows-undocumented-students-to-receive-in-state-tuition\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T11:33:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:33:52","slug":"tuition-equity-bill-included-in-state-budget-allows-undocumented-students-to-receive-in-state-tuition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2023\/08\/01\/tuition-equity-bill-included-in-state-budget-allows-undocumented-students-to-receive-in-state-tuition\/","title":{"rendered":"Tuition Equity Bill Included in State Budget, Allows Undocumented Students to Receive In-State Tuition\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boston, MA (July 31, 2023) \u2013 The newly-signed Massachusetts state budget, includes programs that will dramatically increase access to higher education for Bay State residents. Northern Essex Community College President Lane Glenn was at the forefront of advocating for the initiatives, including the Tuition Equity Bill<\/strong>. It expands in-state tuition and financial aid eligibility to undocumented Massachusetts students who attend public colleges or universities in the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am grateful to the legislature, and particularly Senate President Spilka, for including Tuition Equity for undocumented students in the FY24 budget proposal,\u201d says President Glenn. \u201cThis important step will immediately benefit thousands of students across the Commonwealth, make Massachusetts more economically competitive with other states, and better prepare the workforce we need in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

President Glenn testified to the MA Legislature’s Joint Committee on Higher Education for the Tuition Equity Bill.<\/p><\/div>\n

In a recent article<\/a>, President Glenn points out that this bill underscores the importance of educating and retaining talent for a healthy state economy.<\/p>\n

Massachusetts public college students are more likely (85%) to live and work in the state following graduation. Nearly a third of STEM workers, and a significant number of healthcare workers and educated workers in other industries, are first-generation immigrants.<\/p>\n

The bill amends wording to the General Laws to allow in-state tuition and fees to undocumented students who have attended high school in Massachusetts for at least three years and either graduated from a high school in the state or attained the equivalent.<\/p>\n

The budget also includes funding for the following key higher education programs:<\/p>\n

$20 million, MassReconnect\u00a0<\/strong>
\nMassReconnect<\/a> provides Massachusetts residents who are 25 years old and older with access to free associate degrees and certificates at the state\u2019s community colleges. Those adults who have not yet earned a college degree or industry credential are eligible. It offers students last-dollar financial support to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies. The program will begin in the fall of 2023. Learn more about MassReconnect at NECC here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

$18 million, Scholarships for Community College Nursing Programs\u00a0<\/strong>
\nThis funding supports scholarships for community college nursing students and provides additional financial support to the colleges to recruit and retain qualified nursing professionals to teach in nursing programs.<\/p>\n

$12 million, Free Community College for All\u00a0<\/strong>
\nThe state has begun the process of providing free community college by the fall of 2024. This funding allows institutions to begin building capacity for such a program, including staffing and system upgrades. It also allows for the analysis and development of comprehensive free community college guidelines, regulations, and implementation measures.<\/p>\n

$14 million, SUCCESS Programs\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\nThe state\u2019s 15 community colleges will each receive funding to continue their SUCCESS Programs. The SUCCESS Fund (Supporting Urgent Community College Equity through Student Services) is based on Northern Essex\u2019s PACE Program, a federally funded program that serves first-generation and low-income students each year with individualized support services.<\/p>\n

At Northern Essex, this funding was used to create the SOAR Program<\/a>. The\u202fSOAR (Seizing Opportunities,\u202fAspire to Rise) Program provides hundreds of students with wrap-around services such as peer mentoring, tutoring, academic skills workshops, and transfer advising.<\/p>\n

$27 million, Early College and Dual Enrollment Programs\u00a0<\/strong>
\nThe state\u2019s public colleges and universities will receive continued funding for Early College and Dual Enrollment programs. NECC is one of 22 colleges and universities participating in the\u202fMassachusetts Early College Initiative<\/a>, which partners high schools with colleges and universities for designated programs between them. NECC has designated programs with Haverhill High School, Lawrence High School, and Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School. Students from those schools can earn college credits tuition-free. In addition to its state-designated partnerships, Northern Essex offers its Early College Program to students from 25 other local high schools. These students can earn credits at a 50% discount. Learn more about Dual Enrollment and Early College at Northern Essex by emailing pk12@necc.mass.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

$25 million, Community College Scholarships in High-Demand Fields\u00a0<\/strong>
\nThis funding supports students who are enrolled in high-demand career fields, as defined by the executive office of labor and workforce development’s study on labor market conditions. Scholarships from this fund will be available to students enrolled in and pursuing either an associate degree or certificate program at a state college; are age 25 or older as of the first day of classes; have not previously earned a college degree; and are enrolled in at least six credits.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Boston, MA (July 31, 2023) \u2013 The newly-signed Massachusetts state budget, includes programs that will dramatically increase access to higher education for Bay State residents. Northern Essex Community College President […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":25739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[11,15,16,20],"tags":[203,307,623],"class_list":["post-23205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-headlines","category-press-releases","category-students","tag-dominican-diaspora","tag-hispanic-serving-institution-hsi","tag-tuition-equity"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTuition Equity Bill Included in State Budget, Allows Undocumented Students to Receive In-State Tuition\u00a0 - NECC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2023\/08\/01\/tuition-equity-bill-included-in-state-budget-allows-undocumented-students-to-receive-in-state-tuition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tuition Equity Bill Included in State Budget, Allows Undocumented Students to Receive In-State Tuition\u00a0 - NECC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Boston, MA (July 31, 2023) \u2013 The newly-signed Massachusetts state budget, includes programs that will dramatically increase access to higher education for Bay State residents. 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