Higher education is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many students. In response, states and cities around the country are responding with guarantees of tuition-free or debt-free higher education (debt-free programs address living expenses beyond tuition that students need to bear when attending college). These are known as "Promise" programs.
The effect of each Promise program on low-income families, students of color, and immigrant students can vary based on how the program is designed. A new report by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) analyzes some of these effects.
"When policymakers design these programs, the choices they make about each aspect of the program can significantly affect students who have historically faced the highest barriers to college education. For instance, some Promise programs require students to attend college full-time, but many students attend part-time because they need to work, help care for their families, or both," said Jeremy Thompson, Senior Policy Analyst at MassBudget and author of the report. "This could lead to inequitable distribution of resources, since Black and Latinx undergraduates are more likely to be part-time than other students in Massachusetts."
The report also examines how other elements of Promise programs - like which expenses they cover, whether adult students can participate, and whether they limit coverage to certain fields of study - affect students who often face barriers to accessing higher education.
"A well-designed debt-free higher education program is a step toward ensuring that we are closing opportunity gaps and that every person has the chance to go to college without being weighed down by debt," said Marie-Frances Rivera, President of MassBudget. "In Massachusetts, where our highly educated workforce powers our economy, designing an equity-focused Promise program means more people can achieve their full potential regardless of their race, family situation, or the amount of wealth they can access."
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