Laying the Groundwork:
A Policy Roadmap for Equitable Public
Higher Education in Massachusetts
A multi-year collaboration among leading research, advocacy, and education organizations charting a bold, shared vision for accessible, affordable, and high-quality public higher education across the Commonwealth.
About the Collaborative
A Collective Effort for Student Opportunity
and Statewide Prosperity
The Collaborative for Higher Education Access & Opportunity (CHEAO) brings together six leading organizations: EdTrust in Massachusetts, Hildreth Institute, OneGoal, Latinos for Education, MassINC, and uAspire, to create a unified vision for the future of public higher education in Massachusetts.
By leveraging rigorous research and data-driven analysis, our partnership aims to ensure that every student, regardless of background, has a fair chance to access, persist, and succeed in higher education.
“After years of underinvestment in public higher education, Massachusetts has begun charting a new course that invests in student opportunity and the Commonwealth’s future workforce. The four key pillars of this collective roadmap are essential to closing opportunity gaps, from access to success to degree value, and the organizations partnered here are uniquely positioned to help advance this vision through data-driven, evidence-based action.”
“Access to postsecondary education can be truly transformative, particularly for students who are the first in their families to go to college. Education provides opportunities for students to decide their destiny.”
“For many students, college is just one of several priorities they are juggling. That’s why wraparound supports, specifically advising and navigational support, are critical to student success and completion.”
“Getting students in the postsecondary door is a critical, initial step in a much longer journey. College has to be affordable; that is essential to getting students from enrollment to graduation.”
“To get the most from these investments, Massachusetts will need a serious data strategy. A fourth pillar of the roadmap is harnessing new technologies to give policymakers, educators, and students and families better information so they can make fully informed choices.”
“Massachusetts has made real progress expanding access and affordability, but these gains are at risk. Federal cuts to student aid, shifting immigration policies, and new funding restrictions threaten the safety nets and inclusive campus environments that thousands of students depend on to earn their degrees—especially those from underserved backgrounds. However, with bold, strategic investments, Massachusetts can safeguard against these threats while building a public higher education system that is accessible, affordable, and built for long-term student success.”
Why Now
Massachusetts at a Crossroads
By 2031, nearly 75% of jobs in Massachusetts will require education beyond high school. Yet too many students, particularly those from underserved communities, still face barriers to enrollment, persistence, and completion.
At the same time, institutions are confronting demographic and financial headwinds that threaten the long-term stability of the state’s innovation-driven economy.
With approximately $3 billion in annual Fair Share surtax revenue dedicated to education and transportation, the Commonwealth has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine public higher education as a true public good that works for every student.
The Four Pillars
A Framework for Progress
Organized around four interconnected pillars, the Roadmap identifies today’s challenges and lays out early, actionable ideas to guide future policy development.
A Living Framework
An Invitation to Shape the Future
This Roadmap is a preliminary, working document—a starting point to invite dialogue, debate, and shared solutions.
Over the next months, CHEAO partners will engage students, educators, policymakers, and community leaders to refine the framework and translate ideas into action.
About the Partners
EdTrust in Massachusetts improves the economic mobility of underrepresented students by increasing access to financial aid and postsecondary pathways.
The mission of uAspire is to improve the economic mobility of underrepresented students by creating financial solutions to diverse postsecondary pathways.
The MassINC Policy Center generates research to frame pressing issues, identify actionable solutions, and monitor progress.
Latinos for Education unites Latino communities to transform education policy and practice, creating a future where every child can thrive.
We’re a postsecondary access and success organization working with schools and districts to transform postsecondary advising and support so that all students can define their futures.