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At a press conference held at Salem State University on November 15, 2023, Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll announced a $62 million expansion to the Commonwealth’s financial aid program MASSGrant Plus.
The MASSGrant Plus Expansion Program is expected to benefit upwards of 25,000 students attending one of the state’s community colleges, state universities, or the University of Massachusetts. The program will cover tuition, fees, books, and supply costs for Pell Grant-eligible students and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for middle-income students.
In a press release issued by the administration, Governor Healey stated “For so many Massachusetts residents, higher education can be the ticket to their future career and economic stability. Our employers are looking to graduates of Massachusetts’ exceptional public colleges to meet their workforce needs, and those graduates are most likely to stay in Massachusetts. But far too many people are held back from pursuing the education of their choice because of high costs. This expansion of MASSGrant Plus will open doors for more students to access higher education, which will strengthen our economy as a whole. We’re grateful to our Legislative partners for making this funding available and look forward to our continued collaboration to make Massachusetts more affordable.”
The Governor and Lt. Governor were joined by Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega, and Chair of the Board of Higher Education Chris Gabrieli, Salem State University (SSU) President John D. Keenan; James Vander Hooven, President of Mount Wachusett Community College and chair of the Community College Council of Presidents; SSU students, faculty and staff; local and statewide elected officials; and public higher education leaders from across the state.
“The 15 community colleges are excited by the opportunities the MASSGrant Plus Expansion will offer to our students,” said President Vander Hooven. “We are grateful to the Governor, Lt. Governor, and the entire administration for the continued investments in our students.”
For more information on the MASSGrant Plus Expansion, please visit https://www.mass.edu/about/whatsnew_2023massgrantplusexp.asp.