What to know about UMass Boston's free tuition pledge
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco. Photo: Steph Solis/Axios
UMass Boston pledged to cover tuition and fees for any undergraduate student whose family makes $75,000 or less a year.
Why it matters: It's the first time the four-year public institution is guaranteeing free tuition and fees for its students based on an income threshold.
- Before, the university offered scholarships and grants to low-income students but couldn't guarantee it up front.
State of play: The new policy takes effect in fall 2025 for students from Massachusetts, per a UMass spokesperson.
- The program aims to support up to 3,000 students in its first year.
- UMass Boston predicts more than one-third of those students will be from Suffolk County and that most will be nonwhite students.
Pro tip: Students who qualify should fill out a FAFSA form (either the federal form or Massachusetts'). Eligibility will be determined each year.
- UMass Boston offers more information on its website.
Context: The move, funded in part through revenues from the so-called millionaires tax, comes after the state made community college free this year and at a time when UMass is competing with various private colleges in the Boston area.
Zoom in: UMass Boston had more than 12,000 undergraduates as of last fall, the latest numbers available.
- 60% are the first in their families to attend college, per UMass.
- More than 40% annually qualify for Pell Grants, which are given to students showing academic progress and financial need.
What they're saying: Isabella Pino, a senior at UMass Boston, says the change would benefit students who told her they had to choose between lunch and a parking pass or other expenses.
- "As a student leader, a lot of other students told me about their struggles," said Pino, a campus tour guide and resident assistant. "The fact that now you don't have to worry about tuition is going to alleviate all of that."