Protecting Access and Affordability: New Opportunities for Massachusetts Public Higher Education in Times of Rising Student Charges

This report includes a discussion of possible options that the Commonwealth might consider public higher education. It also makes clear that a more comprehensive review of overall state policy to support access to higher education is needed. The report is organized into four sections. First, the current policy situation is discussed, which includes both the funding crisis and a review of the financial aid opportunities open to students in Massachusetts. Next is an overview of national trends with respect to exploding tuition and fee increases and the response of some states. The third section provides the simulation results to determine the amount of new financial aid needed to protect needy students. The final section discusses some possible next steps for Massachusetts, which includes policy considerations to promote access and affordability for the Commonwealth’s student education system designed to enable the colleges and universities to operate more efficiently and to cut costs.