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SUCCESS grants available to state universities for the first time; Will fund peer mentors, academic and career advising, other student supports
Boston - The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that it is awarding $14 million from the fiscal year 2025 budget to support student success programming at Massachusetts’ nine state universities. These funds support services such as peer mentors, academic skills workshops, and academic, career and scholarship advising aimed at increasing graduation rates, particularly among historically underserved students.
Massachusetts is extending SUCCESS funding to state universities for the first time, which has been available to community colleges in recent years. This type of funding contributed to a 10-percentage point increase in community college student retention from fall 2022 to fall 2023.
“To best support our students, we know that we need to help them get both to and through college,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We’ve made progress in making it more affordable for students to enroll in college, and this program will now lift barriers that arise on the way to graduation, especially for first-generation college students who cannot draw on a parent’s experience to navigate earning a degree.”
“An educated workforce benefits all of Massachusetts, but those benefits are only realized if students can succeed in college and graduate ready to launch their careers,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “The SUCCESS program is a crucial tool for supporting students and closing equity gaps in college graduation rates.”
The State University SUCCESS program will allow campuses to create new services to support vulnerable or historically underserved student populations, including students of color, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students, and students who are low-income or first-generation to college. This funding builds on a key focus area of the administration’s recent report on Advancing Representation in Higher Education: to increase persistence and completion for historically underserved and underrepresented students.
According to the Department of Higher Education’s most recent data, more than 30 percent of state university students do not earn a degree within six years of enrolling. Among Black and Latino students, more than 40 percent of students do not graduate within six years of enrolling at a Massachusetts state university.
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration is working to be number one in education for all students, and that means providing campuses with the supports they need to promote student well-being and success,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “I want to thank the Legislature for their partnership in supporting wraparound services for students, continuing to make Massachusetts the best place to live and go to school.”
“To close equity gaps in higher education, we must support the whole student,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega. “We cannot wait to lift barriers that keep many students from realizing the socio-economic upward mobility that comes from earning a college degree. I’m grateful to Governor Healey and the legislature for supporting crucial wraparound services that have been shown to have a positive impact on student persistence.”
In addition to the $14 million for the State University SUCCESS program, the state fiscal year 2025 budget also invested $14.7 million for community colleges, making a total $28.7 million investment in SUCCESS programming. Further, the budget included a new Higher Education Persistence Fund at $2.5 million to help address students’ basic needs, such as food security, housing, child care, and transportation.
Under the Healey-Driscoll Administration, state financial aid has increased by more than $200 million in the past two years. This has also enabled the expansion of MASSGrant Plus, which gives free tuition and fees to Pell Grant eligible students at all public colleges and universities, including the nine state universities and the University of Massachusetts. MASSGrant Plus also lowers costs for middle-income students.?Financial aid and SUCCESS and related student support programs help ensure that students can not only access college but are also set up to succeed when they arrive.
"Expanding the SUCCESS program to our state university system will help our students be able to thrive," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "At our community colleges, this program has boosted completion rates for the students who face the greatest challenges. I am excited to see these academic and peer supports extend to even more Massachusetts students."
"I am proud of the House's work championing the expansion of SUCCESS funding in this year's budget, as it will ensure essential wraparound support services for our most vulnerable state university students," said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). "By investing in key supports like enhanced mentoring and personalized advising, we are breaking down barriers to academic success and ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive. This program is a testament to the House's commitment to student achievement and equity in higher education. Thanks to our partners in the Healey-Driscoll Administration, I look forward to the positive impact this program will have on students in the Commonwealth."
"I am thrilled to see the aptly named SUCCESS program expand to state universities. This program helps our most vulnerable students persist and earn a college degree,” said Senator Jo Comerford, Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Higher Education (D-Northampton). “I am grateful to my colleagues in the Legislature and the Healey-Driscoll Administration for supporting the funding that made this expansion possible, as well as to the intrepid team at DHE for their implementation work."
“Massachusetts has made historic investments in higher education affordability and access. Today’s announcement builds on that progress and helps to ensure that students – particularly those from underrepresented communities – have the tools and support they need to succeed,” said Representative Dave Rogers, House Chair, Joint Committee on Higher Education (D-Cambridge). “I am grateful to the Healey-Driscoll administration for their continued support of our schools and students.”
“The expansion of SUCCESS funds will allow our state universities to grow programming to reach even more students looking to advance their education, said Dr. Linda Thompson, Chair of the Massachusetts State Universities Council of Presidents, and President of Westfield State University. “We are confident the funding initiatives brought by the Healey-Driscoll Administration will reach those individuals who want to stay in Massachusetts, build businesses, support our economy, and strengthen their families. At Westfield State University, expansion of SUCCESS will benefit our LEAD Scholars program, or the Leadership, Excellence, Achievement and Diversity program which has been active on campus for almost 60 years. LEAD emphasizes our university’s dedication to cultivating excellence in all students, acknowledging their achievements, and celebrating the diversity that enriches our campus community. LEAD Scholars enables our students to take the lead in the classroom, within our campus, their own communities, and beyond.”?
Award amounts are based in part on the number of Pell Grant-eligible state university students and state university enrollment of each institution: