Why are more and more colleges and universities offering tuition-free programs?

In the span of just over a month, three private colleges and the entire University of Massachusetts system announced it would begin free-tuition programs to attract students to their schools.

But why now?

Although the reasoning varies from institution to institution, there are three explanations.

Competition is part of the response and responds to other institutions, such as those of the state new free community college program. The expansion of the state financial program MassGrant Plus and the delay of federal aid formalso known as the Department of Education’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), there are other reasons, according to university officials.

“We’re trying to be competitive against private universities that offer higher discounts every year,” said UMass President Marty Meehan.

“In some cases the percentage is too high, because that is why many of the, let’s say non-elite private individuals, are in financial trouble. Because they’re discounting at higher rates than they probably should,” Meehan later added.

Each of the institutions that offer free tuition programs covers tuition and, in some cases, fees for different populations. All will start in fall 2025, except Holy Cross, which will start this year.

The UMass system will offer free tuition and fees for in-state students whose families earn $75,000 or less.

Anna Maria College, headquartered in Paxton, announced it would cover tuition and fees for students from New England — Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont — including the first full-time Pell-eligible students other criteria.

Pell Eligible students are those who demonstrate exceptional financial need. Unlike a loan, it does not have to be repaid, except under certain circumstances.

Holy Cross announced it would cover the cost of tuition for families with a total income of $100,000 or less.

Holy Cross declined to discuss the motivations for the free tuition announcement.

“As a Jesuit, Catholic institution, we are committed to affordability and access for all of our students. This is a continuation of that promise,” the institution said.

Regis College in Weston will offer full tuition coverage for Pell-eligible students graduating from a Catholic high school in the United States, Puerto Rico, or U.S. territories.

Key to the decision was the institution’s commitment to expanding access to a college degree, said Antoinette Hays, president of Regis College.

“The higher education landscape is changing with free community college, a decline in demographics and others questioning the value of a college degree,” Hays wrote in a statement to MassLive.

“The university is always exploring new ways to increase access to university education and make university more affordable. This new program meets both important goals,” said Hays.

Stay competitive

Governor Maura Healey spoke at the end of July signed in the Universal Free Community College Act for Massachusetts residents regardless of income or age. The initiative broke a decade-long trend of declining enrollment in community colleges.

For students like 18-year-old MassBay Community College student Grace Arena, the news that her tuition would be paid was a huge relief.

‘I didn’t have to worry about how much I had to work every week to pay for school. I was able to put it aside and really experience what college was all about,” Arena said in October.

At the same time, the program raised concerns about the impact this could have on private and other public institutions.

Free community college helped announce Anna Maria College’s free tuition. That’s partly because the institute knew it would attract students to a community college instead of Anna Maria, said Hugh Drummond, the college’s VP of External Relations and Chief Communications Officer.

“It’s just part of the big equation of competition and choice,” Drummond said.

“Every institution looks at that and makes adjustments to be more competitive and more attractive, whatever it may be. The most recent – ​​and important – was the state’s ability to offer free community colleges. So that made us sit back at the table and say what we can do,” Drummond later added.

• Read more: Here’s what’s worrying college presidents in Mass as school starts

Anna Maria President Mary Lou Retelle told MassLive in September that the institution could be particularly affected by the free community colleges because it serves a similar population as public and community colleges. Namely many first-generation students and students with high financial needs.

Since fall 2022, after MassReconnect – a free tuition program for students age 25 or older – was implemented, new students have increased by nearly 41% and total enrollment has increased by nearly 24%.

State universities also experienced a slight increase in enrollment, the first since fall 2013, according to state data.

In contrast, the UMass system has seen a nearly 3% decline in new students and student enrollment has remained stable data to be stated.

Unlike Anna Maria College, Meehan said he doesn’t think the free community college has affected UMass‘ registration.

The hope is that it will help by widening the funnel, bringing more students into public higher education and increasing potential transfers to UMass, Meehan said.

UMass’s competition is not community colleges, but private institutions that are offering increasingly large discounts on their tuition.

Because private institutions often have higher tuition, Meehan says people are sometimes attracted to how much money they can get.

“One of the things I’ve been thinking about doing along these lines is letting people know how much a UMass education actually costs, which is significantly higher than what even the sticker price is,” Meehan said.

Meehan hopes the announcement of free tuition will help highlight UMass’ affordability.

“I don’t think our sticker price at UMass is too high, I don’t think it’s too high at all. I think the challenge is to make it clear that we provide significant financial assistance to students,” Meehan said.

UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell offered free tuition last year to more than 90% of students with a family income of $75,000 or less, Meehan said.

Changes in aid

Part of what played a role in the decision to create a free tuition program at UMass was the expansion of MassGrantPlus in 2023, according to Meehan.

MASSGrant Plus covers unmet financial needs such as tuition and mandatory fees plus $1,200 for books and supplies for families earning less than $85,000.

Families earning between $85,000 and $100,000 a year (before taxes) can cut tuition and fees in half, according to the programs website.

Each of the announced free tuition programs includes state and federal aid before covering the remainder of a student’s tuition.

“Last year we really weren’t in a position where we could offer that to everyone,” Meehan said, referring to the free tuition announcement.

Another change in aid came last year with the FAFSA form.

Disruptions, delays and technical errors plagued many college and university enrollments and placed a heavy burden on their financial aid staff.

The FAFSA form allows students to receive federal aid to help pay for college.

Settings such as Hampshire College, Brandeis University And Emerson College cited FAFSA delays as a contributing reason for enrollment problems that resulted in budget cuts and layoffs.

Forty-four percent of the nation’s private colleges experienced enrollment declines as a result of the FAFSA rollout, according to a questionnaire by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

Anna Maria College missed its target enrollment, dropping from 330 to 300 students, Drummond said.

This year the form has been postponed again. Instead of a typical opening date of October 1, the form will launch on December 1 with a testing period for a “limited number of students and institutions” on October 1 to iron out any issues.

Retelle of Anna Maria College told MassLive in September that she was concerned about how the rollout of federal student aid could particularly hurt smaller schools like Anna Maria.

• Read more: ‘They just don’t want to come’: Here’s what higher education leaders fear from FAFSA delay

Anna Maria College has created working groups to consider how to target students who may have postponed their college applications or gone to more affordable options because of FAFSA issues, Drummond said.

The tuition-free program at Anna Maria emerged from those conversations.

“As families faced delays, there were certainly families who said, let’s put this on the table for now. Or let’s look at that free community college as an option instead because this FAFSA thing is too hard or we’ve run into too many mistakes,” Drummond said.

“We want to make sure they think of Anna Maria,” Drummond said.