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UMass Lowell Offers Tuition-Free Option to Some Community College Grads
Today’s Globe is carrying this AP story about yesterday’s announcement that UMass Lowell is offering a free-tution incentive to certain students graduating from any of the Commonwealth’s fifteen community colleges. While no panecea since other fees and costs are still due, any tuition assistance would be helpful to college students and their families in these times.
Students who graduate from a two-year community college in Massachusetts with a 3.0 or better grade point average will be offered free tuition at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The program, announced yesterday, will begin in the fall semester. Students who earn an associate’s degree at one of the 15 community colleges and are seeking a bachelor’s degree could receive free tuition at UMass Lowell for up to four semesters. Students would have to maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average at UMass to continue getting the benefit. The school’s current annual in-state tuition is $1,454.
Getting a $1,454 break on a $10,506 bill doesn’t even constitute a 15% discount. (More like 13.8%). My son paying out of state tuition, fees, room and board in the University of North Carolina system barely pays more than he would were he to attend UML. (Approximately $21,000 to $19,000). This one is all puff and little pastry.
Why don’t they offer this to all the veterans who have come back home from war, regardless. The commomwealth gave free tuition to all Viet nam veterans when they came back from Viet nam.
Dean.. “We” is “They”.
Did the legislature have some input on this spending, or does the University system have a blank check for use of taxpayer money (or does it actually cost 10-15% less to educate students than we thought?)
Believe me, I think is one good use of taxpayer money, I just would like to see a little more cost control at the u-mass system.
When my husband went to UML, he had free tuition because his father worked there. Of course no one is going to complain getting an extra 700 dollars off each semester, but I think at the time we had about two thousand in fees on each bill.