For two years, Massachusetts has been increasing the financial aid available for students who attend public colleges — most notably, by making community college free. Estimated enrollment figures released by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Oct. 28 show students are now flocking to community colleges, reversing a decade-long decline in enrollment.
But getting students in the door needs to be paired with getting them out successfully. Evidence shows that community college graduates can expect to see a wage boost, but only if they complete a degree. By that measure, the state’s public higher education institutions — community colleges and state universities — are foundering.
The Department of Higher Education data showed that as of 2024, only 35.2 percent of Massachusetts community college students who entered in 2018 had earned a degree or certificate anywhere, well below the national average of 43.8 percent. Greenfield Community College was the only college performing above the national average. There were persistent racial disparities, with Black and Latino students less likely than white students to stay enrolled past freshman year, transfer to a baccalaureate program, or complete a degree.
One positive sign for community colleges is an improvement in on-time credit accumulation, which measures the percentage of students earning 24 credits their first year (12 credits for part-time students) and tends to predict whether a student will graduate. For the class that entered in 2024, 38.2 percent met that standard, up from 23.7 percent in 2014.
State universities have always had better completion rates than community colleges, but data suggest that state universities are moving in the wrong direction. Six-year completion rates dropped from 73 percent in 2018 to 68 percent in 2024 — and just 57 percent among Black and Latino students. In 2014, 75.8 percent of state university students were accumulating credits on time, but by 2024, only 68.2 percent were. For the class that entered in 2012, 89.5 percent of students continued from freshman to sophomore year; for the class that entered in 2023, 85.5 percent of students persisted. (These data are somewhat skewed because two specialty schools — Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Massachusetts College of Art and Design — have particularly strong outcomes.)
In the University of Massachusetts system, completion rates have remained relatively flat and were 77.7 percent in 2024.
One reason colleges are struggling with retention may be related to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Vincent Pedone, executive director of the Massachusetts State Universities Council of Presidents, said students who had their high school education interrupted are entering college unprepared. “Our faculty are challenged with providing instruction because a lot of the students coming in lack those basic foundational competencies needed to do college-level work,” Pedone said.
The question facing colleges is how to catch them up, and unfortunately, the Trump administration is cutting money for some federal programs that fund student support.
As this board has argued, one promising initiative is the state’s SUCCESS grant program, created in 2021, which gives community colleges money to provide services like academic advising and mentoring to targeted populations. A 2025 report by the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges found that for first-time, full-time SUCCESS program participants, 18 percent completed a credential and another 49 percent remained enrolled in education within three years of entering college, compared to 9 percent completion and 47 percent enrollment among comparable peers. SUCCESS participants were eight percentage points more likely than their peers to complete credits on time, pass introductory math and English courses, and remain enrolled from freshman to sophomore year.
Last year, the Legislature appropriated $14 million to expand SUCCESS into state universities.
Westfield State University president Linda Thompson, who chairs the Massachusetts State Universities Council of Presidents, told the editorial board SUCCESS is designed “to begin to focus more on risk factors, then pay attention to those students.” For example, Westfield State is providing extra help to all first-year students, with intensive advising and mentoring for 380 high-risk students, such as male, African American, or Latino students who tend to have lower graduation rates. The university is expanding a “bridge” program where students take summer classes to reduce their first-year workload.
It will be important to track the results of these programs and determine which practices lead to improved retention and graduation rates, then expand those efforts to reach more students.
Beyond SUCCESS, public colleges face ongoing challenges with low salaries making it hard to retain educators, according to a study commissioned by the Massachusetts Teachers Association. The Legislature should ensure schools have adequate funding to retain high-quality educators, especially as enrollment increases.
Greenfield Community College offers one model of what works. The smallest of the community colleges, it’s also the most successful, with 48 percent of students earning a degree within six years. Shanni Smith-Arsenault, vice president for enrollment management and student success, told the editorial board that state SUCCESS money supplements work the college was already doing. It keeps student-to-faculty ratios low so faculty can provide individual attention. There is close coordination between staff doing academic advising, financial aid counseling, and disability accommodations, plus additional resources like a food pantry. “The student feels like they’re being case managed, like they have a team behind them,” Smith-Arsenault said.
Public college students often have lots of barriers to completing college — financial hardship, academic struggles, and challenges related to child care, transportation, and other basic needs. State officials have poured money into lifting financial barriers; now schools need to work to address the academic and life barriers and give each student a personalized path to success.
Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.