Massachusetts has the fastest-rising costs of public higher education in the country, according to a new report from the New England Board of Higher Education.
The total cost of public higher education in Massachusetts is similar to other New England states, but it is rising at a faster rate.
“If the price of attending college in Massachusetts continues to rise at the rate it has been, people are going to turn elsewhere,” said report author Stephanie McGrath, a policy and research analyst at the New England Board of Higher Education. “We don’t want to send our talent outside of Massachusetts.”
The New England Board of Higher Education is a policy group that researches public higher education in New England and promotes collaboration between the states.
In Massachusetts, according to the report, the average tuition and fees for two semesters at a two-year public college in 2017-2018 were $6,131, an increase of 18 percent from 2012-2013. Tuition and fees in New England overall were $5,193, a jump of 16 percent over the same time period.
Tuition and fees at a public four-year college in Massachusetts were on average $11,420, slightly lower than the New England average of $11,596. That represented an increase of 19 percent since 2012 in Massachusetts, compared to a 10 percent increase over the same time in New England.
The amount students actually pay depends on how much financial aid they get. The report found that as costs rise, federal Pell grants cover less of the cost. But the study did not track out-of-pocket spending, which also depends on whether a student gets state aid or institution-based aid.
It did note that Bridgewater University is one of the country’s most expensive public universities for low-income students. A student with a household income of less than $30,000 will pay an average of $15,800 there.
McGrath said as costs rise, more students finance their education with student loans. “When you graduate with that much student debt, it sets you further behind,” she said. “You delay buying homes or having children.”
Gov. Charlie Baker announced last year that the Department of Education will set aside an additional $7.5 million in financial aid for low-income community college students.
Bob Hildreth, president of the Boston-based Hildreth Institute, an advocacy group that pushes to make higher education more affordable, said in a statement that the report “shows that Massachusetts is moving in the wrong direction.”
“Our public colleges are becoming more expensive each year, and low- and middle-income students can’t keep up,” Hildreth said. “If we continue on this path of higher tuitions and increased student borrowing, we will leave an entire generation mired in debt, causing lasting financial harm to students by preventing them from saving and investing for the future.”
Today, there are more than 191,000 students attending Massachusetts' public colleges and universities.