Massachusetts Shows Commitment to Public College Access and Affordability, Must Do More To Help Student Success
Hildreth Institute’s Statement on Governor Healey’s FY27 Higher Education Budget Proposal
Governor Healey’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget shows a clear commitment to helping Massachusetts students access and afford our public colleges and universities. In a difficult fiscal year marked by federal uncertainty, we commend the Governor’s leadership in sustaining investments in free community college and proposing a 4 percent increase in total higher education funding.
These investments have expanded access. But they do not yet reflect the scale of investment voters intended when they approved the Fair Share amendment, nor the necessary investments in helping students succeed, persist, and graduate once they get to college.
Under the Governor’s FY27 proposal, higher education receives approximately 9 percent of the $2.7 billion in Fair Share surtax revenue. A broad consensus emerged from the Commission on Higher Education Quality and Affordability (CHEQA) that at least 25 percent of Fair Share revenues should be directed to higher education. That 25 percent benchmark reflects not only expert guidance, but also the spirit of the voters, who sought to reverse decades of chronic underinvestment and ensure a high-quality, affordable public higher education system in Massachusetts.
We applaud the Governor for recognizing the importance of student success strategies by proposing to expand the SUCCESS program to the UMass system. In addition, more needs to be done to address the most significant unmet need – student success at community colleges. Current SUCCESS funding, $14 million across 15 campuses, reaches fewer than 8 percent of students, leaving most without access to the proactive professional advising and structured supports shown to improve completion.
This gap is increasingly consequential. Since the launch of free community college, community college enrollment has increased by 38 percent. Without a corresponding expansion of student success capacity, the Commonwealth risks limiting the impact of its access investments.
The resources to act exist. Allocating 0.5 percent of Fair Share surtax revenue would be sufficient to double the Community College SUCCESS program, significantly expanding its reach and improving the likelihood that increased enrollment translates into degree completion, workforce readiness, and economic return.
As the Legislature deliberates on the FY27 budget, we urge alignment between Fair Share investments and their stated purpose: not only expanding access, but ensuring students complete degrees so that they can obtain personal socioeconomic mobility and strengthen the Commonwealth’s economy overall.
An in-depth analysis of the Governor’s FY27 higher education budget can be found here.
