Public higher education produces many benefits that are vital to the New England economy, but it is increasingly at risk following years of state budget cuts. In 2017 in New England, real per-student state funding for higher education was lower than it was in 2008, with a double-digit decline in each of the region's states except Maine. States…

Community college students face a number of financial decisions and obligations along the path to degree completion. Students must secure resources to pay for college expenses, including their tuition, fees, and basic living necessities. Central to this is students' abilities to access financial aid resources including federal, state, and…

This paper is the third in Pioneer Institute's "UMass at a Crossroads" series. This report takes a closer look at the university's growing dependency on increases in tuition and fees and expansion of out-of-state and international student enrollment to support continued expansion of the university. The first report examined whether…

Declining state support for higher education is not unique to Southern New England nor is it a recent phenomenon. Public universities in the United States relied on state and local funding for about half of their revenue in 1980-1981. By 1999-2000 that proportion had dropped to about one-third. With the recession decimating state coffers, the…

This State Profile from the Delta Cost Project presents data on key Delta metrics for public research, master's, bachelor's, and community college sectors in the state of Massachusetts. The data are limited to a five-year period, showing data for the most recent year, and the five-year change.

A new Massachusetts law requiring foreign students to pay the true cost of their education is felt to be the first of its kind. The law's constitutionality and its implications for international education are being examined. (MSE)

Historical information is provided on required student fees at Massachusetts public universities and colleges from fall 1982 to the present. Information on current fees subject to the 30% guideline is also included. Two sections of the report deal respectively with: (1) total required fees (recent trends in fees and comparison with state…

Legal and policy initiatives to achieve various tuition policy goals are proposed for the Massachusetts Board of Regents of Higher Education. The suggested tuition policy builds on the policy adopted by the Board in 1984. Details are provided on tuition and access, tuition and equity, the margin for excellence, tuition and fees, and…