Senate Dems plan another big bump in financial aid

BOSTON (SHNS) - The Senate Ways and Means Committee wants to keep its foot on the gas of ballooning financial aid with a 25% increase to the MASSGrant Plus program, according to someone with knowledge of the committee's plans for next year's state budget.

The MASSGrant Plus program, which is meant to cover unmet costs of tuition and mandatory fees for low-income community college students attending public higher education institutions, was expanded to an $80 million investment last year. The committee's fiscal year 2026 budget, set to be unveiled Tuesday, will recommend increasing that investment to $100 million.

The goal is to make public higher education close to completely free for more lower income students, including those who also qualify for federal Pell grants.

The financial aid investment has grown rapidly in recent years. When it was launched under former Gov. Charlie Baker in 2018, the program had just $7.5 million to distribute to students in need.

Under the $80 million invested in fiscal 2025, MASSGrant Plus covers the full cost of tuition and fees and an allowance of up to $1,200 for books and supplies for full- or part-time students at public four-year colleges and universities from families earning up to about $85,000 per year.

For families earning up to $100,000, the program covers about half of the out-of-pocket costs for tuition and fees for full-time students at the state's community colleges and 15 state universities.

Additionally, the University of Massachusetts announced last fall that through the expansion of MASSGrant Plus, any in-state student coming from a family who earns under $75,000 will be able to attend a UMass school for free by next school year.

The current state budget included a number of other higher education financial aid investments as well, including making community college free for every Massachusetts resident and an additional $175.2 million for other scholarships awarded through the General Fund.

The Board of Higher Education approved budget recommendations in December for fiscal 2026 which included, "expanding the Massachusetts financial aid programs to make all public colleges and universities debt-free or nearly debt-free for almost all without an existing college degree."

Gov. Maura Healey and the House proposed level-funding the program after years of rapid growth, keeping it steady at $80 million.

The most recent big increases in financial aid have been mostly funded through a pot of revenues collected from a 4% income surtax on the state's highest earners. That surtax was approved by voters in 2022, and may only be spent on education or transportation initiatives.

The committee plans to release its full annual budget bill Tuesday in advance of floor debate on it during the week before Memorial Day.