Worcester Business Journal

16 Worcester Business Journal | November 11, 2024 | wbjournal.com F O C U S H R & R E C R U I T M E N T Opening doors BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer I n October, the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester increased its full-tuition grants to students whose families make $100,000 a year or less with reasonable assets. e college originally implemented its full-tuition grants in its 2022-2023 academic year at a $75,000 threshold to ensure low- and middle-income fam- ilies saw the college as a viable option, stemming from the belief that education should be accessible for all, regardless of income. Also this fall, the first cohort of students benefiting from the state's new MassEducate program entered their classrooms, receiving their community college education for free. Whether they're public or private institutions, colleges and universities throughout Central Massachusetts and the state as a whole are working to make higher education more accessible for more student demographics, with impacts likely to present themselves in a more diverse and educated workforce. Commitment to affordability "As a Jesuit Catholic institution, we're committed to affordability and access for all students, and this is an actual continuation of that commitment," said Cornell LeSane, vice president for en- rollment management at Holy Cross. Raising the ini- tiative's threshold was an effort on the college's part to best support its students as both annual tuition and cost of living increase. e school's tuition for the academic year 2024-2025 is $63,650, according to Holy Cross' website. When adding in fees, including housing and a food plan, that number increases to $83,320. "We are truly trying to live our mis- sion by providing opportunities such as this," said LeSane. Finances are a top concern for students when selecting a college, said Mike Crowley, vice president for enrollment management at Nichols College in Dudley. "Obviously finances weigh into people's decisions, and we wanted to provide that accessibility for students," said Crowley. In total, the college provides Worces- ter County students with about $7 mil- lion in its own scholarships and grants per year, averaging to about $23,000 per student per year, he said. In addition, students are offered endowed scholar- ships who meet varying specific criteria set by individual donors. To incentivize students to visit Nich- ols' campus during their application process, the college affords any accepted student who had visited Nichols and applied by Dec. 15 grants up to $3,000 per year. "One of the things that we view as be- ing really important for students looking at Nichols is to spend time with us on campus and getting a real understanding of what it's like to be a student here at the college," said Crowley Each year, Nichols conducts an assessment of its financial aid offerings, determining whether its aid strategy is as effective as it can be and exploring what kind of enhanced offerings are possible. "Each year brings new opportunities and new needs for students, and we want to address those," said Crowley. State-funded opportunities e MassGrant program offers need- based financial assistance to Massa- chusetts residents attending public and private Massachusetts colleges and uni- versities who have not received a prior bachelor's degree or its equivalent. In 2018, the MassGrant program was bolstered by MassGrant Plus, covering the rest of an eligible student's cost of tuition and fees for whose families make about $85,000 per year before taxes to attend community college, one of the state's nine public universities, or one of four UMass undergraduate campuses. For students whose families make up to $100,000 per year before taxes, the program will reduce their out-of- pocket expenses for tuition and fees up to 50%. In 2023, the state launched its MassReconnect program, allowing Massachusetts residents 25 years or older who hadn't received a bachelor's degree to obtain an as- sociates degree or certificate through any of the state's public commu- nity colleges for free, regardless of income. In the ac- ademic year 2023- 2024, the first year the program was initiated, the state's community colleges experienced a nearly 45% increase in enrollment for students 25 and older from the previous year with more than 4,500 students receiving MassRecon- nect grants, according to the DHE data. A year later in fall 2024, free com- munity college education became avail- able through the MassEducate program for all Massachusetts residents who had not earned a bachelor's degree. Enrollment numbers for this current semester show a 14% increase from the year prior, according to DHE data. To provide more educational and career opportunities to underserved populations, Central Mass. colleges are enhancing financial aid Mike Crowley, vice president for enroll- ment management at Nichols College Cornell LeSane, vice president for enrollment management at Holy Cross Clantha McCurdy, Department of Higher Education senior deputy commissioner Students at Quinsigamond Community College, which is among the colleges throughout Central Mass. finding ways to make higher education more affordable. PHOTO | WBJ FILE

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