An initiative that its supporters describe as “historic” and a “generational game-changer” is now reality — community college is now free for all Massachusetts residents without bachelor’s degrees.

The new MassEducate program included in the state’s fiscal year 2025 budget, approved last week, sets aside $117.5 million to reimburse community colleges statewide for the tuition and fees of their students, removing the financial burden for those seeking to further their education. Funding for the program will come from revenue generated from the state’s 4% surtax on annual income above $1 million.

For Shelly Bowder, 19, that means her final year at Holyoke Community College will be tuition- and fee-free, allowing her to focus on her studies and her lifelong dream of studying the biology of the ocean. Previously, Bowder had been paying for her education by working at her family’s business, along with paid internships, student loans and sometimes out-of-pocket contributions from her family.

“It’s been challenging for me,” Bowder said. “This definitely means I can get to the ocean a lot sooner. … It’s a lot of pressure relieved.”

This summer, Bowder has been taking several classes while also fulfilling a full-time paid internship with the school’s Student Ambassador and Mentorship Program. Ultimately, she had to drop a pre-calculus class to keep up with the demands of her academics and internship. For some of her classmates, she noted that financial barriers can have an even greater toll on their higher education goals, leading to a “feedback loop” of prohibiting factors.

“This is a big step in breaking that barrier down,” she said. “It feels gigantic ... obviously I’m elated about this.”

Hilario Peralta, 23, will also reap the benefits of the MassEducate program in his final semester at Holyoke Community College this fall. Peralta has been conducting a work-study at the college’s library to help cover the cost of his education along with financial aid and scholarships. Next semester, he won’t have to worry about balancing school and work.

“There were times when it got a little difficult,” Peralta said. “I was usually doing three to four classes and having to work either in between or after class.”

After Holyoke Community College, Peralta hopes to attend a four-year university in Boston to continue his art studies, eventually securing a career in comic book illustration.

“This will help me get to certain things that I want to do faster,” Peralta said. “Some of my expenses that I had to pay for might be lessened by the free community college deal.”

Access and equity

MassEducate comes on the heels of another program called MassReconnect, which the Healey-Driscoll administration rolled out last year, that allows adults 25 or older without bachelor’s degrees to attend community college for free. Mount Wachusett Community College Associate Director of Public Relations and Communication Nia Carignan said MassReconnect resulted in a new student enrollment increase of 58% and MassEducate will likely drive that number higher.

“It is an exciting time. … Having gone from the quiet halls of the COVID years to a full, vibrant campus has been amazing,” Carignan said. “Expanding access to education benefits everyone in the commonwealth. It’s not just about reducing student debt, it’s about the single mom working two minimum-wage jobs to survive who can now become a nurse. We need more nurses, EV mechanics, educators, paramedics, the list goes on, and this program will go a long way to help.”

Like Mount Wachusett, Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield experienced a spike in enrollment from the MassReconnect program, said Adam Klepetar, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management.

“We saw an increase in the number of adult learners enrolling and persisting at [Berkshire Community College],” Klepetar said in a statement. “MassEducate will only provide greater access to all students, which is really exciting.”

Comerford: Game-changer

In an interview, Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, who chairs the state’s Joint Committee on Higher Education, said free community college will serve as the “great equity engine of our time.” The senator pointed to the significant uptick in enrollment at Greenfield Community College and elsewhere as proof.

The joint committee spent roughly a year and a half planning the initiative, which Comerford believes is the beginning of state funding for higher education in Massachusetts.

“I think folks should consider this a down payment of additional revenue for public higher education,” Comerford said. “We want people to feel — and MassReconnect did this — that college is for them. If they want that opportunity, they can go get it, and the commonwealth’s going to help them. ... This is a real generational game-changer that we’re looking at.”

Comerford also noted that with today’s technological advancements, it is important for the state government to invest in the next generation of Massachusetts’ workforce.

“We’re making a down payment on our children’s future, That’s what we’re doing. We’re saying, ‘The commonwealth is going to raise up a generation of students.’ We need them to be leaders. We need them to take on 21st-century jobs and we need them to thrive here. This is for our children.”

Colleges getting ready

Holyoke Community College President George Timmons noted similar outcomes from MassReconnect at HCC, and expects them to continue and expand with MassEducate.

“This is the first time we’ve seen positive enrollment in community colleges in over a decade,” Timmons said. But the next step, he said, is ensuring that the student services at community colleges are equipped to give an increased number of students the best educational experiences and opportunities possible.

“With more students, that means we have to provide more support services. We call that good trouble. Those are good problems,” he said.

But Holyoke Community College has been preparing for the possibility of free community college in the state, and they’re ready to invest in expanding what Timmons calls “success and completion services.”

A similar plan is put in place at Mount Wachusett, where Carignan said every department is “prepared for a busy year.”

“Every department, from admissions and financial aid, to student support services, are ready to do everything we can to help our new students,” she said. “We have a number of programs that we have expanded to help new students succeed.”

One of those programs being beefed up is the SUCCESS Fund, which provides wraparound supports and services for students, such as peer mentoring, skills workshops, academic advising and other supports.

“We have also added to our career services team and are connecting them to students earlier in their educational journey, helping them to explore career options and ensure they have the skills that employers are looking for when they graduate,” Carignan said. Mount Wachusett’s orientation programming is also being enhanced to take older students who have been out of school for a long time into account.

Because MassEducate and MassReconnect are “last dollar” financial aid grant awards, they are applied after admissions offices examine all of the other options that are available to aid students in paying for their education. This means some students might not even need MassEducate to attend for free, but it’s up to professionals at the schools to determine how to best meet their needs.

The initiative also includes a stipend of up to $1,200 per academic year to cover books and other supplies for students in need of assistance, similar to allowances provided under MassReconnect.

“This is such a historic achievement for the commonwealth,” said Greenfield Community College President Michelle Schutt in a statement. “MassEducate will allow people, some of whom may have felt college was out of reach, the opportunity to pursue a free community college education.”

To qualify for MassEducate, prospective students must complete the FAFSA or MAFSA, depending on their qualifying status; apply to a community college and enroll in a program of study; have physically lived in Massachusetts for at least one year; have earned a high school diploma or equivalent; enroll in at least six credits per semester and maintain satisfactory progress aligned with the college’s requirements.

There is never a fee to apply, and most Massachusetts community colleges offer year-round admissions.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com. Staff writers Anthony Cammalleri and Chris Larabee contributed to this report.