Hildreth Institute’s Statement on the House-passed FY27 Budget

Last week, the House passed its fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget (H.5501). The House budget largely reflects the priorities laid out in the Governor’s proposed budget with regard to funding for public higher education. The House budget makes incremental investments in the areas of student access, affordability, and completion, that may not keep pace with growing student enrollment and need.

On access and affordability, the House provides $127 million for the Free Community College programs (MassEducate + MassReconnect); a $7 million increase over FY26, but $10 million below the Governor’s proposal. The budget also level-funds MassGrant Plus Expansion at $85 million, provides a modest increase to the Massachusetts State Scholarship Program, and restores $10 million for the Targeted Scholarships program, which the Governor had zeroed out.

Beyond financial access, the House includes modest increases in student success and completion initiatives, with $4 million increases at both the community college and state university segments, where completion gaps remain significant and demand for support services is high. The House also includes a new $10 million UMass allocation for the SUCCESS program.

While we are glad the House provided funding bumps to the SUCCESS programs in particular, we believe that there are a few missed opportunities in this budget. For one, the modest increases to student aid are not sufficient to cover impending shortfalls that the Commonwealth will experience due to rising enrollment and the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funds. As such, we urge the Senate to consider investing in the Public Higher Education Student Support Fund, a long-term student aid funding account that will protect students, institutions, and the Commonwealth from these shortfalls. Similarly, increases to the SUCCESS programs are not at the scale needed to effectively combat our stagnant, and even declining, college completion rates.

Find our full statement and analysis of the House FY27 budget here.